charged vat from china??

pingua

I am very confused with all this vat stuff. We ordered some stuff from hong kong to the value of £33. Parcel force sent a demand for customs/postal charge for vat to the tidy sum of £22.69. I paid it and the parcel has arrived. But I am not too sure why this has been added. Can anyone help??

The vat charge was £14.69 and the handling charge £8.00 by parcelforce.

shaun_from_Africa

What value was declared on the package?
VAT is payable on goods over £18 in value when imported from outside of the EU, but as the current VAT rate is 20%, you should only have been charged £6.60 + the £8 clearance and handling fee.

It sounds as if you've either been overcharged by HMCE, or the sender put the wrong value on the package.

pingua

Yes, I have just had a look. grrrrrrrrr. The items I bought - a set of two were £33. They have gone and put - eg kettle x2 £33 and in the quanity box 2 - and in the total value box £60. So a bit of confusion. But I would say they filled this form in their side so its a sellers mistake ?? What do I do now send them a message and see if they will refund the diference??

shaun_from_Africa

I would certainly try the seller first, but if they won't do anything then you may well be able to reclaim the overcharge from HMCE.

http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageTravel_ShowContent&id=HMCE_CL_000014&propertyType=document#P145_14564

3.6 Where can I ask about or query a customs charge?
If you have any questions about a particular customs charge you should contact Customs at the postal depot shown on the charge label as soon as possible. If you write to Customs you should include as much detail as you can, including the customs charge label, the customs declaration and the part of the wrapper with your address on it. If your claim is about overcharged tax because the declared value of the goods was incorrect you will need to supply evidence, for example, an invoice, receipt of purchase etc., to support your claim.

pingua

Thanks for your help.Shall try the seller. I see they have put the value as £30 on the parcel and ticked gift. So if they had not made the mistake of putting £60 I suppose it may have just been delivered as normal?? Or does all stuff from china alwyas have vat on it?

lovinituk

I wouldn't bother wasting your time asking for the seller to refund it - you will be lucky to get any more than just an apology from the seller.

You should have paid VAT and import duty but only half of what you have been charged. The Parcel Force fee, although disgusting, is also something you will have to pay no matter how much VAT/duty.

To reclaim the difference you need to write to UK Border Agency at Coventry. You will need to supply all proof of what you actually paid and the customs declaration showing the incorrect amount declared.

Then sit back for a few months!! I claimed for overpaid VAT/duty recently. Sent the initial letter and proof at the beginning of March and finally received the cheque at the beginning of June!!

You can phone UKBA on 0845 600 4781 - they will tell you exactly what you need to do.

macfly

Why is the Parcelforce fee a problem? Do you work for free?

Oliver14

lovinituk wrote: »

The Parcel Force fee, although disgusting, is also something you will have to pay no matter how much VAT/duty.

Why is it disgusting that PF charge a fee for processing the payment to HMRC for you. You can always import things directly yourself and do all the work involved yourself. I assure it costs much more in hassle and time than £8. The OP was lucky it wasnt a courier like Fedex who charge far more.

Oliver14

pingua wrote: »

Thanks for your help.Shall try the seller. I see they have put the value as £30 on the parcel and ticked gift. So if they had not made the mistake of putting £60 I suppose it may have just been delivered as normal?? Or does all stuff from china alwyas have vat on it?

As shaun anything over £18 from outside the UK you should. Although frequently it doesnt get collected. Just factor those costs into any overseas purchase then if it collected its not a nasty surprise.

Owain_Moneysaver

As well as VAT there may also have been Customs Import Duty.

VAT is charged on the import duty as well.

shaun_from_Africa

As well as VAT there may also have been Customs Import Duty

Import duty is only payable on shipments in excess of £135 so wouldn't have been a consideration in this instance.

I see they have put the value as £30 on the parcel and ticked gift. So if they had not made the mistake of putting £60 I suppose it may have just been delivered as normal?

Possibly, but if HMCE had looked inside the package and found an invoice then having the item ticked as a gift wouldn't have mattered.