Irish Airports - Customs Duty on Clothes

odyssey06

I've been reading in the newspapers recently about the clampdown by the Revenue on people brining back clothes from the States after shopping trips.

Can anyone explain to me what the story is with this? What's your actual allowance?

I know with alcohol, for instance, you can buy 1 litre duty free as your allowance. But the clothes were bought in proper US stores so why are you still being hit for tax?

Thanks

lord lucan

they say this every year in the run up to the xmas shopping trips to new york and still i've yet to hear of anyone being stopped by customs. there's never anyone around whenever i've arrived back through dublin.

joolsveer

Ms Inquisitive wrote:

I think that being an Irish citizen you're still supposed to pay certain taxes on it!

The easiest way to get around it is to
a) throw out the receipt (unless very expensive item)
b) take tags off all new clothes

they've no way to prove what you were or weren't buying then!

I believe that the onus is on you to prove that you had the goods before travelling to the States. You are guilty until proven innocent!

Dodge

joolsveer wrote:

I believe that the onus is on you to prove that you had the goods before travelling to the States. You are guilty until proven innocent!

The reality is this will never happen.

BuffyBot

Just to point out the piece of the charter for anyone who isn't familiar with it.

One of the listed no-no's is: "Finding out how to bypass customs, defraud travel insurance companies, enter countries illegaly - basically, anything that isn't above board and legal."

Please make sure any posts on this thread meet that guideline...

Third_Echelon

I think your allowance is 200 EURO or something like that... small enough anyway.

I've been back and forward to the states via Dublin many times and at various times throughout the year and I've never been stopped or have ever seen anyone being searched.

They release these stories before christmas for 'scare tactics' purposes...

tdavfc

I heard yesterday that Customs are stopping lots for peoply over the last few weeks. Anybody know if this is true as I am heading out to NY on Thursday..

Pythia

I heard that last year too. Don't think it actually happens.

:|

I remember hearing that coleen mclaughlin had been stung coming back from ny for a few grand worth of tax. Googled and all I could find was that she was questioned, not fined anything. Probably a rumour so

MrVostro

tdavfc wrote: »

I heard yesterday that Customs are stopping lots for peoply over the last few weeks.

Propaganda, so you dont even try it. Customs are far too busy looking for ciggys and drugs.

jackieod

Hey heading to Boston on an organised Shopping trip ( ie booke dthe package through tour company Travel Dept) Been looking forward to this for months and saving like mad to buy lots of nice clothes.... I was listening to Ray darcy during the week and people talking about customs etc... I knwo to obviously take the labels off and wont be carry cigs or anything just clothes, make up , shoes etc....
Has anyone any expierence of customs or any recommendations or advice for me... Scared now ill get stopped coming home and wont be worth it after saving for so long....
All advice appreciated
Thanks

highlydebased

As has been said in another thread, its propaganda.

The customs are too busy looking for drugs and cigarettes...

BuffyBot

The one 4 threads beneath this...threads merged. jackieod, use the search function if to see if your question has already been raised in future

jackieod

Apologies BUffy Bot only new and still getting used to posting.. I know for future Thanks a million

jimmysull

I came back from London this morning at the same time as a plane landed from NY. They stopped 1 token person as far as I could see ( I was waiting at the bag carousel nearest customs) and let her go again without even looking in her bags.
I'm going to Boston next week to do some shopping for Christmas. The customs guys are less likely to target planes from Boston (all the talk is about going to NY on shopping trips) and as far as I can see Boston is a much better venue for shopping in the USA. See http://www.myguidenewengland.com/shopping-in-boston for information on shopping in Boston: The Hotel's seem much better value and the real clincher is there's no sales tax on clothes (compared to over 8% in New York). I've booked a package that takes me to Wrentham Village (basically Boston's version of Woodbury common) Well worth risking the trip I'd say!!!

jimmysull

The other option that someone told me about is to make a connection in London......they never check people coming off flights from London

P. Breathnach

This is absurd.

People pay a lot of money to go off and spend another lot of money on buying stuff, and then want to avoid paying a much more modest amount on taxes that are properly due.

Why not declare the purchases and take the hit?

Oh ... I forgot ... this is Ireland in 2007.

jimmysull

P. Breathnach wrote: »

People pay a lot of money to go off and spend another lot of money on buying stuff, and then want to avoid paying a much more modest amount on taxes that are properly due

Very admirable P. Breatnach!! But we are not talking smuggling contraband here, it's clothes!

P. Breathnach wrote: »

..Oh ... I forgot ... this is Ireland in 2007

It's not just the Irish:
http://www.allthingschristmas.com/forum/showthread.php?p=354#post354
You can save a hell of a lot more than the price of the flight!

P. Breathnach

jimmysull wrote: »

Very admirable P. Breatnach!! But we are not talking smuggling contraband here, it's clothes!

Any taxable goods on which tax is evaded are contraband.

Dodge

P. Breathnach wrote: »

Any taxable goods on which tax is evaded are contraband.

Its import duty isn't it?

I've no problem with individuals avoiding the import tax as they will already paid tax on the the goods when purchasing them.

I understand the need for the law though

BuffyBot

jimmysull wrote: »

Very admirable P. Breatnach!! But we are not talking smuggling contraband here, it's clothes!

It doesn't matter.

I'd suggest you read my earlier post on this thread and the forum charter before posting again, especially the bit about seeking advice on/encouraging/posting advice about things that are not above board and legal.

Whether you agree with the principle or not isn't relevant

P. Breathnach

There might be import duty on some goods, but for the most part there isn't. The applicable tax is VAT. And the purchasers will not have paid Irish taxes when buying goods for consumption in Ireland. In fact, unless they are stupid, they will not have paid US sales taxes either.

Okay, I know I am probably in a small minority here, but I don't mind holding controversial views such as believing that if tax is due, then it should be paid.

Rashers72

How do you go about claiming back US taxes you have paid? And on what things can you reclaim - i.e. I don;t think food/drink/theme park tickets/car hire etc. is covered.
And finally has anyone done it, and is there an admin charge?
Thanks in advance

P. Breathnach

Rashers72 wrote: »

How do you go about claiming back US taxes you have paid? And on what things can you reclaim - i.e. I don;t think food/drink/theme park tickets/car hire etc. is covered.
And finally has anyone done it, and is there an admin charge?
Thanks in advance

Your only chance of avoiding US sales taxes is when you buy goods to consume outside the US. So the things you list would not qualify.

I don't know a great deal about it because I have not had reason to check out how it works (the last time I was in America all I bought was a pair of cheap sunglasses). I have heard that some of the larger NY stores will exempt shoppers from sales tax on the production of evidence that you are a visitor. I suppose that your passport and the return ticket would amount to good proof -- but, as I said, I don't know much about how it works.

youcancallmeal

I'm in New York at the moment and have bought two cameras and about 1000 dollars worth of clothes. Thinking about getting some golf clubs as well but I reckon that might be pushing it too far. Anyway I'm heading home tomorow so I'll let you guys know what happens

jimmysull

We'll agree to differ P. Breathnach, for example: are you "evading" tax if you re-enter the EU through the UK or another EU country where they have higher allowances and then bring them into Ireland. Maybe it's tax avoidance which is legal but not tax evasion. I say let people take their chances!

jimmysull

Anyway, I was watching this on the news last night and I still say Boston is the place to go! All the talk is about flights from New York.

Also, if you feel the need to be squeeky clean then you can go through the red channel and declare the purchases in excess of your allowance.
I did some calculations and even if you pay the tax on the clothes you bring in, the savings are still massive!!!!!

Boston has all the big name shops of NY and great bargains. It has much lower sales tax (which is perfectly legal, P. Breathnach) with none on clothes and there is much less demand for accommodation so it's better value!! I stand by my decision and I'm going to enjoy myself while I'm there!!!

... and if any one wants to join me, I booked it through myguideNewEngland

mikedragon32

jimmysull wrote:

(which is perfectly legal, P. Breathnach)

What do his thoughts on evading import taxes & duties have to do with State Sales Tax differences between NY and MA?

It is up to the individual to decide if they want to go through the Green Channel and take their chances or through the Red Channel and declare their goods.

WRT to flying through UK on a connecting flight, I do believe (based on my time working on prosecutions in Revenue) that you could still be liable as EU members have double taxation agreements and if you were searched in Dublin coming off a London (for example) flight where you connected, you could end up paying taxes and duties.

Simply put, whether you pay a high sales tax rate in NY, a low one in MA or none at all in NJ, when you bring those items into Ireland, you ARE liable to pay tax on the items here. The taxes paid in US are totally irrelevant for this purpose.

jimmysull

mikedragon32 wrote: »

WRT to flying through UK on a connecting flight, I do believe (based on my time working on prosecutions in Revenue) that you could still be liable as EU members have double taxation agreements and if you were searched in Dublin coming off a London (for example) flight where you connected, you could end up paying taxes and duties.

I agree completely. I never mentioned a connecting flight. You can legally disembark in the UK with the UK allowance and then enter Ireland legally transferring goods within the EU. In fact you could get off a plane in Belfast and drive into the Republic in half an hour. It was a hypothetical example to outline the futility of the argument, but is accurate.

mikedragon32 wrote: »

The taxes paid in US are totally irrelevant for this purpose.

I totally agree mikedragon32, the mention of the different taxes in different states is in reference to making further savings on what you purchase

jimmysull

mikedragon32 wrote: »

Simply put, whether you pay a high sales tax rate in NY, a low one in MA or none at all in NJ

I think you'll find that if you go to New Jersey there is a 7% sales tax.
You have to go to Delaware to pay none but access by air is a bit more complicated so Boston is best. Best way to get to delaware, if anyone is interested, is to fly to Philadelphia and drive down (state line is about 20 minutes from Airport)

mikedragon32

jimmysull wrote:

I agree completely. I never mentioned a connecting flight.

jimmysull (in post #16) wrote:

The other option that someone told me about is to make a connection in London......they never check people coming off flights from London

As for NJ taxes, I don't recall paying any when I went to Jersey Gardens, but maybe it's when you're paying less than in NY that you don't think about it, or perhaps the tax is included in the price tag?

datk

mikedragon32 wrote: »

As for NJ taxes, I don't recall paying any when I went to Jersey Gardens, but maybe it's when you're paying less than in NY that you don't think about it, or perhaps the tax is included in the price tag?

There is now no sales tax on clothing unter (approx) $120 each item. It came in about 14 months ago.

mikedragon32

datk wrote: »

There is now no sales tax on clothing unter (approx) $120 each item. It came in about 14 months ago.

That explains it. Thanks mate.

P_1

Out of interest is there any way of enforcing eople using the right channel (blue/red/green) when leaving the baggage hall? From all the times I've gone through Dublin airport I haven't noticed anything stopping you from going through whatever channel you want.

jimmysull

Hi mikedragon32,

I am new to this and I don't want to get a moderator angry with me but 2 points on your sarcastic retort:

1. I said "UK or another EU country" this was the post you were referring to. ...and I agreed with you, so why retort?
To quote a post from a previous page is totally out of context. Surely the point about landing in Belfast clarified the context??

secondly if you insist on switching the context in a casual manner: when i mentioned a "connection in London" in a post a few days ago, I never mentioned a "connecting flight" in the sense that it was same day or don't leave the airport although I could see why you would jump to that conclusion

jimmysull

jimmysull wrote: »

In fact you could get off a plane in Belfast and drive into the Republic in half an hour.

From my experience of driving from Belfast to the Border,I'd imagine you will have broken quite a few NI traffic laws if you do that...

mikedragon32

jimmysul, my post wasn't sarcastic, I was merely answering the question you asked. It doesn't matter to me when you wrote what you wrote, I read the today and that's the context I got.

It seems to me quite reasonable to infer from your post which I quoted that you meant connecting flights. Most intelligent people would do so.

You're twisting your words now to suit yourself.

As for pissing off a mod, I don't moderate this forum so I'm just another Joe. But one thing you need to be aware of is that this: like other fora, has a charter and a mod who has already warned folk about advising on how to avoid customs.

It doesn't matter how you spin it, you're advocating illegal activities. Even the Belfast option you've touted is breaking the law. If not Irish law, certainly UK law.

youcancallmeal

youcancallme>al wrote: »

I'm in New York at the moment and have bought two cameras and about 1000 dollars worth of clothes. Thinking about getting some golf clubs as well but I reckon that might be pushing it too far. Anyway I'm heading home tomorow so I'll let you guys know what happens

I went through fine first thing this morning. Looks like they weren't stopping anyone. I only had one suitcase but there was big groups of women who had 2 and 3 bags each!

jimmysull

Tristrame wrote: »

From my experience of driving from Belfast to the Border,I'd imagine you will have broken quite a few NI traffic laws if you do that...

If you knew the location of Belfast International Airport you would not have made that post. It's not quite in Belfast!! ....In fact it makes me wonder why Ryanair fly to Belfast city

jimmysull

mikedragon32 wrote: »

Even the Belfast option you've touted is breaking the law. If not Irish law, certainly UK law.

If you are so anxious to read the context then you'll also have seen where I said the following in the same post as my belfast example:

jimmysull wrote: »

You can legally disembark in the UK with the UK allowance and then enter Ireland legally transferring goods within the EU.

I fully took on board the moderators point about not advocating evading taxes and merely pointed out (albeit hypothetical) examples of how it can be done fully above board!

I don't know how I got into this argument, my original point was that Boston is a better place to go shopping than New York. I still stand over that, it's an individual's choice then whether they try to evade/avoid legally/ or pay the taxes

mikedragon32

jimmysull wrote:

I don't know how I got into this argument, my original point was that Boston is a better place to go shopping than New York. I still stand over that, it's an individual's choice then whether they try to evade/avoid legally/ or pay the taxes

I wholeheartedly agree with all of this.

Buttons_sb

So if you buy clothes in say.. london, do you have to pay TAX here in Dublin aswell?? Or how much can each person spend before you have to pay TAX on the items?

=]

mikedragon32

Buttons_sb wrote: »

So if you buy clothes in say.. london, do you have to pay TAX here in Dublin aswell?? Or how much can each person spend before you have to pay TAX on the items?

=]

You don't have to pay tax on goods bought in any EU member state, however there are limits to the quantities of some items you bring in (eg tobacco & alcohol).

The limits are riduculously high and are based on reasonable personal consumption. Hence you can drive a vanload of wine back from France (via a ferry crossing) without anyone raising an eyebrow.

P. Breathnach

The issue with goods bought in the EU is not VAT (as applies to stuff born in the US and other places outside the EU); the issue is excise duty.

The rule is, as mikedragon32 says, reasonable personal consumption. Customs & Excise operate guidelines. Guidelines are simply that -- they exist as suggestions about what is reasonable. The ones I know are for wine and pipe tobacco (you can guess something about my lifestyle). For wine, the guideline is 80 bottles per person, and for pipe tobacco, 1kg.

I take the car to France from time to time, travelling on my own. Solo travellers seem to attract the attention of excise officers at ferryports, and I have been checked a number of times. They seem fairly relaxed about wine, where I sometimes exceed the guideline a bit, but very focused on tobacco. I am usually asked about spirits, but rarely have any.

jimmysull

P. Breathnach wrote: »

guideline is 80 bottles per person, and for pipe tobacco, 1kg. ........................They seem fairly relaxed about wine, where I sometimes exceed the guideline a bit, but very focused on tobacco. I am usually asked about spirits, but rarely have any.

In here also come the definition of "personal consumption".

You don't necessarily need to drink the stuff to consume it. You basically can bring in as much as you want as long as it's not for commercial purposes. The 80 bottle guideline is more a threshold between "they don't care" and "they get suspicious".
For example, If you buy 500 bottles of wine for a wedding, you are deemed to be "consuming" it yourself even though you will be sharing it with up to 500of your guests.
The burden of proof is on you though, otherwise the 80 bottle guideline applies. You can't just say "I will drink the 500 bottles myself"!

mikedragon32

The guidelines are Here

Buttons_sb

Cheers
=]