Same here (Portugal).
Customs takes the full value (price+shipping... yes, plus shipping)
and applies VAT to it (21% in this case... yes, 21%!)... and then adds
whatever import rights tax (percentage) is due, according to the
nature of the item at hand (3,2% for synths, for example)...
Now, since there are literally thousands or millions of packages
imported every day, supposedly, they do a random selection of the most
obvious "victims" (higher valued items; bigger, heavier packages), in
such a way that sometimes a low-valued item or a small/light package
goes through without taxation.
On the other hand, I believe they keep a record of "more active" - so
to speak - receivers/destinations... and tax EVERY SINGLE item the
guy/company/whatever gets... I mean... I have imported gear from the
US, Canada, Australia, Japan, wherever, and "in the beginning" (some
years ago) I believe I ocasionally got some stuff untaxed (well, small
stuff anyway), but now... even some shi∗∗y CDs get BANG! "taxes due"
warnings stamped all over the package... lol... sad... isn´t it?
Just my 2 cents (plus VAT and import rights, if you´re abroad :P)
On Thu, Mar 6, 2008 at 11:39 AM, Neil Wakeling <neil@...> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Hi Al,
>
> In my experience it is the importer who pays the import duty. The exporter
> simply declares the value of the item. I have imported (to the UK) some
> musical equipment, you get a letter from Customs asking you to pay the
> import duty before they release the item to you.
>
> Cheers,
> Neil
>
>
> Al wrote:
>
>
>
> I don't klnow if this subject has come up yet. If
> shipping from U.S. to say, UK, ho0w do you envisage
> the import tax aspect?
>
> (and, a "venture capitalist" such as yourself is not
> exactly the same as a corporate company who aims to
> colonise the world and enslave the people)