UK duty free

Double_V

No!
I came back on Monday from Copenhagen.
And on my way there I couldn't buy cigarettes.
But I could buy from Copenhagen to bring them here in UK.
This is strange and do not understand.

Pollycat

Double_V wrote: »

No!
I came back on Monday from Copenhagen.
And on my way there I couldn't buy cigarettes.
But I could buy from Copenhagen to bring them here in UK.
This is strange and do not understand.

Which airport did you fly from?

Were you really told that you couldn't buy cigarettes because you were travelling within the EU?

That's not what te website for World Duty Free shop at Gawick says.

Double_V

Pollycat wrote: »

Which airport did you fly from?

Were you really told that you couldn't buy cigarettes because you were travelling within the EU?

That's not what te website for World Duty Free shop at Gawick says.

I flew from Gatwick Airport and yes I was told.
As cigarettes are now hidden in a newly built kiosk behind perfume shops (at Gatwick Airport).
So when you walk in the cigarettes shop/counter/kiosk they ask where you're flying to.
If it is within EU they apologize and say you cannot take cigs from here.
This is strange, because in the past I have done this many times.

Anyway, you can bring cigarettes from EU into the UK no questions asked.

agarnett

I was at Stansted World Duty Free very recently and was eyeing some expensive cosmetics.

A sales assistant had clearly eyeballed me and came over to "assist". She first told me that there was a clear saving on "High Street" prices (which I believe is a message they show on the shelf labels).

There followed a little friendly banter from me about where exactly was the high street thesedays? Was it for example that unique one in the wilds of Scotland that has all the high street prices WDF refers to on its labels but where no-one visits and buys anything?

Yes I know what you mean she said, but here at least, you pay no VAT.

That got me thinking but because she was almost as old as me I didn't quiz her strongly over the comment.

Stansted is of course almost exclusively an EU destinations only airport, but in view of the Hoo-ha recently over the VAT scam at airports and the boarding pass thing, is it not total rot that the prices WDF charge us customers are VAT free i.e. that customers get the benefit of tax relief?

The scam we've recently heard so much about shows that the only people who gain from VAT tax relief are WDF in this example- that is if they can show the Inland Revenue that you (their customer) happened to be travelling outside EU as proven by your boarding pass. If you are travelling inside EU, then to suggest VAT is waived is just misleading sales talk nonsense, is it not?

Moto2

Well they could give you 16% or so off the RRP and call it VAT free (or 'we'll pay the VAT'), it wouldn't be the case though

martindow

I think that cigarette prices in Tabacchi in Italy are fixed by the government so any of these shops in the street will be the same price. They have a large capital T outside and also sell local bus tickets. I'm not sure if this price standardisation applies to UK brands or just popular Italian cigarettes.