Shopping in Germany - Tax return and Tax Refund?!

Mic2904

Hi, I was born in Germany but have a UK Passport. I am planning to visit my family and I am aware I can get the VAT refund when shopping in Germany - or any country for that matter. 
My question is: Will the UK government charge me import tax retrospectively, which then means it doesn't make sense really... I believe the tax refund is registered officially, so unsure if I can get around it. 
Thinking of buying something more expensive, def worth more than the legally free limit of £270.

Thanks for the help and support.

Markus

DullGreyGuy

Mic2904 said:

I am aware I can get the VAT refund when shopping in Germany - or any country for that matter. 

I can't say for Germany but certainly your last statement is incorrect. If you buy in country, in person then in most countries (inc the UK) you cannot reclaim the VAT on leaving. The UK used to allow it but stopped it with Brexit, Germany may still allow it.

Mic2904 said:
Will the UK government charge me import tax retrospectively, which then means it doesn't make sense really... I believe the tax refund is registered officially, so unsure if I can get around it. 

Thinking of buying something more expensive, def worth more than the legally free limit of £270.

If you can/do reclaim the German VAT or not is irrelevant. You can only bring in £270 of overseas products before you have to pay importation taxes (VAT, Duty, Excise etc). If you haven't reclaimed the German VAT then it will simply be compounded.

Naturally you could try and smuggle the goods in and not declare it but dont complain about the consequences if you are caught. 

Clearly it's only really worth it if the item is much cheaper in Germany such that paying UK import taxes still leaves it cheaper. When I bought my turntable it was less than half the price here so made perfect sense but if you are talking a few percentage points then its easily wiped out by taxes and certainly not work risking the consequences of smuggling. 

Mic2904

Thanks.
I have spoken to the shop and they are aware of the agreement that Germany VAT can be voided, if I have a proof of ID that confirms that I live in the UK. I found this here online: https://www.globalblue.com/shoppers/how-to-shop-tax-free/destinations/germany

With that said, I believe that my details are registered and therefore there isn't even a chance of 'smuggling' goods, because there is an electronic record and in addition I am liable for import tax, which would then negate the 19 VAT I would save in Germany. 

I think I know the answer here... It's not possible. I think if that would be possible, people abuse the process anyway..?!

toby3210

I always hate dealing with tax and pension authorities in Germany. I used to work there for 4 years and have never been able to reflect the pension contributions I made in Germany to my Uk quota which should be possible. Keep getting thrown around the bureaucratic nightmare.