Bringing home a guitar from the U.S...

Bratach Bán

If I buy a guitar in America (I mean, when I am over there in person), do I just walk it back through customs and say nothing? Is there customs and VAT due on something like a guitar? If so, has anyone here ever been asked to pay it?

Many thanks...planning on doing this eventually in the future, don't want to be hit for an unexpected bill when I arrive home.

Doctor J

By law you are obliged to declare the guitar when pass through customs, whether you choose to or not is your call but bear in mind you will be fined as well as paying the duty anyway if you are caught. Please don't ask how to evade tax on the forum.

feylya

You may be asked to pay 24% of the cost of the guitar at custom if you get stopped.

Discussion of how to avoid import duty is banned on this forum.

Edit: What Doc J said.

Eoin Madsen

VAT and import duty would be due, yes. I'm not sure what the procedure for declaring the items is, I've only been flying inside the EU in recent years.

Bratach Bán

feylya wrote:

Discussion of how to avoid import duty is banned on this forum.

Thanks for the info. Sorry, that wasn't my intention - having never bought an instrument outside the E.U, I genuinely didn't know if there was money due or not. Wasn't trying to evade anything, just looking for a little clarification.

Edit: Sorry, just read the Charter again, saw the link re: VAT, all is clear to me now.

Rustar

Or, you could just stay here in America, buy all the guitars you ever liked for a song, live in cities of gold and walk marble streets, and avoid VATs.

And don't forget the flying air-cars and zero crime rate.



Now the tale is told
By the old man back home
He reads the letter
How they are paid in gold
Just to babble in the back room
All night and waste their time
And they wandered in
From the city of St. John without a dime

See the glory
Of the royal scam

Johnny Storm

Rustar wrote:

Or, you could just stay here in America, buy all the guitars you ever liked for a song, live in cities of gold and walk marble streets, and avoid VATs.

And don't forget the flying air-cars and zero crime rate.
[/I]

......and all those loose wimmen! :cool:

TelePaul

Is this tax avoidance or tax evasion?? Is the responsibility on Irish Cusoms to do their job? It's clearly an ethical dilemma. I mean don't you pay Tax in the U.S that you could claim back anyways?

feylya

Yes, one which is not for discussion on the Instruments forum.

TelePaul

feylya wrote:

Yes, one which is not for discussion on the Instruments forum.

Uhmm why not? I'm not advocating tax evasion; surely the price of an instrument in Ireland versus elsewhere is a valid topic...you guys love Thomann, the only reason you don;t pay tax is because of the E.U. Does this mean you shouldn't pay Tax? You're still essentially taking from the countrys GNP. It doesn't have to become a legal issue. Why can't I discuss the ethics involved in a hypothetical situation? Oh and 'one which', what are you referring to here?

feylya

This forum is for discussing musical instruments. Tax evasion/avoidance is not a musical instrument the last time I checked. Such a discussion would be best suited to the Economics forum I would imagine.

Doctor J

TelePaul wrote:

you guys love Thomann, the only reason you don;t pay tax is because of the E.U. Does this mean you shouldn't pay Tax?

Eh, have you actually read any of the text on Thomann's site? You pay the standard Irish rate of tax, 21%, on all purchases from Ireland. There is nothing to debate here. When passing through the Customs gate at the airport, you are given the option of Nothing To Declare or Goods To Declare. If you don't declare the goods you are breaking the law. End of story. Nothing to do with somebody not doing their job or the failings of the system. It's very simple.

Now, back to the instruments!

TelePaul

feylya wrote:

This forum is for discussing musical instruments. Tax evasion/avoidance is not a musical instrument the last time I checked. Such a discussion would be best suited to the Economics forum I would imagine.

Oh right, so we won't discuss anything but instruments...not where to buy them, how much they cost, e bay, thomann, etc. Thanks. Got it.

TelePaul

Doctor J wrote:

Eh, have you actually read any of the text on Thomann's site? You pay the standard Irish rate of tax, 21%, on all purchases from Ireland. There is nothing to debate here. When passing through the Customs gate at the airport, you are given the option of Nothing To Declare or Goods To Declare. If you don't declare the goods you are breaking the law. End of story. Nothing to do with somebody not doing their job or the failings of the system. It's very simple.

Now, back to the instruments!

Like I say, you pay Tax in America that you're gonna claim back anyway.

feylya

TelePaul and Bratach Bán banned pending an ip check.