Custom fees/import taxes around the world?

Off-topic Chatter
1

What are the fees /taxes in your country?

I believe Norway have some of the worst, but please prove me wrong. (Taxes here are generally very high. But income is considered high too)

Merchandise above 200 NOK ex shipping (about 34:money_mouth_face: receives 25% VAT and 129 NOK (about 22,5:money_mouth_face: custom fee.
So a 35$ light would easily become a 66,25$ light. (43,75$ inc. 25% VAT + 22,5$ custom fee= 66,25:money_mouth_face:
In comparison a 34$ light is a 34$ light…

Naturally, I like to keep to budget lights below 34$. :slight_smile:

2

You are lucky with the high limit, before they add anything, in Denmark the limits is 80DKK ($14) incl. shipping.

We do also have the 25% VAT and our custom fee is 160DKK ($29).

3

From outside of EU:

- after 22€ (~$29) including shipping +24% VAT

- custom fees only after 150€ :)

From EU:

- none

4

That sucks!
Denmark is the only country in EU that generally have worse car taxes than Norway (but your small cars like Toyota Aygo etc are much cheaper).
Looks you guys have worse taxes on typical random products as well.

5

You sure? Finland has very bad car taxes too.

6

In Australia - anything under $1000 has no duty, if for personal use, unless it’s tobacco, alcohol etc.
We suffer from the “tyranny of distance”.

7

I made this overview last year. It compares prices between the Toyota Aygo and Toyota GT86.
Exchange rates are a bit off with todays values… (GT86 would be close to 82k USD in Norway today)

Sweden (SEK): 101.900 vs 304.900= 3
United K. (GBP): 7999 vs 24999 = 3,1
France (euro): 9.400 vs 29.900 = 3,2
Germany (euro): 8.990 vs 29.990 = 3,3
Norway (nok): 131.400 vs 459.000= 3,5
Iceland (isk) 2.195.000 vs 8.090.000 = 3,7
Finland (euro): 10.844 vs 46.624 = 4,3
Netherlands (euro): 7.990 vs 39.990= 5
Denmark (dkk): 79.990 vs 539.997 = 6,7

Prices translated into USD - (Highest GT86 price last)
Germany :10903 vs 36371
France : 11400 vs 36371
United k.: 12384 vs 38705
Sweden: 14631 vs 43778
Netherlands: 9690 vs 48499
Finland : 13151 vs 56545
Iceland : 17057 vs 62867
Norway: 21648 vs 75620
Denmark:13074 vs 88263

Price difference between Aygo and GT86 in USD
France: 24971
Germany: 25468
United k.: 26321
Sweden: 29147
Netherlands: 38809
Finland: 43394
Iceland 45810
Norway: 53972
Denmark: 75189

8

In the Netherlands anything over €22 (about $29) has 21% tax plus a €13 fee (€17,50 for EMS), and any additional duties that may apply.

Last week a $28 flashlight arrived (payed slightly less than €22 in Euros) but it was probably marked with a value of over $30, so I’d had to pay at least €18 in tax+fees. That would’ve almost doubled the price of the light so I refused to pay and they’re sending the package back to China. I hope I can get a refund (meh Everbuying). :~

9

Over 22€ 20% tax and 4€ for handling fee. Over 150€ also tax duty

10

Have to correct: The VAT limit is 22€ (2013/1/1 ->)

11

Hei! Morsomt å “se” et norskt ansikt her.

Norge er et “herlig importland… Grensen på 200 kroner har vært slik siden 1974 eller noe, da 200 kroner var verdt mye mer. De har ikke fulgt utviklingen av samfunnet, sikkert nettopp for at landet skal tjene penger på at vi heller kjøper varer med over trippel pris i Norge.

Her i Norge er det jo mørkt stoore deler av året, så en heftig lykt kommer godt med. Sikler på en TK75 :slight_smile: Det blir min første high end lykt :wink:

12

Merchandise above 26$ with shipping is taxed with 25% VAT and customs fee applied can be between 0 and 14% plus some small manipulative fee (approx. 4:money_mouth_face:. They can also judge that package is not for personal use and treat you like “big” importer and you have to provide customs declaration and other papers plus hefty 70$ fee…

Luckily our customs and post system is overflowed with packages so there is quite a big chance if package is relatively small and plain looking to pass without additional financial burden regardless of value.

As you can notice our VAT is 25% but average personal monthly income is around 900 $ :Sp

13

When people from other countries go on vacation or holiday to the USA, what are the hot ticket items do you buy to bring home? And do you have to pay any taxes on these items? I heard American Levi’s jean and electronics are a hot item. Do you remove the price tags and stick them in your luggage?

14

In Germany you have to pay 19% taxes for packages from outside the EU, if the value (incl. shipping) is higher as 22€ (round about $29 at the moment), but if the tax is under 5€ you don’t have to pay it.

Example: Product cost 25€, 19% tax are 4,75€, but you don’t have to pay it. Value is 26,50€, 19% tax are 5,04€ you have to pay it. In this case, you have to go to the customs service (for me: I have to drive 30 kilometers to the customer service) and pay the tax. You could not send it or make a bank transfer - you have to pay it cash.

If the value is higher as 150€ (round about $200), you have to pay some additional fees (for flashlights 5,7%).

@arn357:
A few years ago, I visited the US. Without any taxes I can import products with a value under 430€ (at the moment $570) and if it is not commercial. If I buy 25 T-Shirts (total value under 430€) or 3-4 Ipods or soemthings like this you can get some problems, because maybe you want to sell it on ebay. The customs service do not like it and make some trouble.

I bought these things:
Clothing (Levi’s 501 - local shop price in Germany 70€ ($90), poloshirts of Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren (you pay round about $70 for one in Germany), Abercrombie & Fitch (I visit the US 2009 and at this time, there was only one Abercrombie store in whole Germany and the prices were extremly high here - this brand has a big run 2009-2010, but it stopped 1 year ago and most of the new stores shut down) and some things of Timberland and Nike in a outlet.

Othere things, which friends bought: Rayban sunglasses, Leatherman and some basketball / football clothings or some brands, which are rare in Germany or if you can get some special editions of basecaps or something like this.

We don’t buy electronic products, but things like Iphone, Ipad are cheaper as in Germany, but you have to jailbreak it. If you have a problem back in Germany you have to send it to the US, which isn’t great.

I removed only the price tags and collect them in one pocket (all other tags are on the clothes). If the customs service wanted to see the price tags and can give them all in one pocket. Without electronic $570 is a lot and I haven’t bought more.
A friend buy a little bit more and gave a Levi’s to a friend, who bought less. Now, both have less as 430€.

15

HI!

Ill reply in English since it is no fun for others to be left out… Nice to see some Norwegian text on this page though! :wink:

As you said, the tax/fee limit have been the same since for decades, so it should have been adjusted higher a long time ago.
But this thread makes me feel a bit better, since there are so many other (EU) contries in the same boat, and some unlucky people who have it worse.
There are obviously several other contries in EU with similar limits and taxes. Some with even lower limits…

(Im from Sotra/Bergen btw
I have a buddy with a Led Lenser X21R (he paid 3500,- NOK! for it BTW) My Maglites retired after I had seen his light in action when exploring a WWII facility nearby. That got me into budget lights. I wanted cheap, small and powerful. X21R is a nice light, but big and expensive. And in cold weather, not impressive battery time on high. I would much rather get a TK75 if shopping for a high-end light. I have to admit the zoom feature on the led lenser is nice though. But ill just stick to budget lights for now. I have lots of fun with those :slight_smile: )

16

before the days of amazon and ebay, it was audio CDs (can you believe there was a time when no local store had any Patsy Cline or Wilson Pickett, at all?), and automotive magazines like Car Craft and PopularHotRodding, and the automotive books by David Vizard. The American automotive magazines are still ’eff’ing expensive in Germany, to this day.

17

In Spain the limit is 22€, if over you pay 21% Iva (vat) plus other custom taxes, plus the fees of the company which makes the paperwork (around 30€)
So a flashlight can become dangerous… I made 2 orders over that value, but I was lucky and they were not inspected
Edit; I think customs fees are only over 150 euros, but its not the expensive part, the worst are the 30€ you have to pay the company that makes the paperwork… A 22,01€ light becomes a 55€ light in a second…

18

Agreed but I might note, that not a single time I have been asked to pay when ordering legal goods :slight_smile:
Gotta knock the wood, several hundreds of shipments have arrived through.

19

Yes, very rare. Hundreds packages to here too and only 1 package stopped to customs, paid 6.20€ VAT and got package 1 day after.

20

Nope. ;)

You are right that the minimum tax is 5€, but you don't have to pay it unless the value (including shipping cost) is over 22€.

This is according to EU legislation(http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2009:292:0005:0030:EN:PDF):

"IMPORTS OF NEGLIGIBLE VALUE

Article 23

Goods of a total value not exceeding EUR 10 shall be exempt on admission. Member States may grant exemption for imported goods of a total value of more than EUR 10, but not exceeding EUR 22."

This is mentioned also in the press release by Finnish Customs (in Finnish): http://www.tulli.fi/fi/tiedotteet/lehdistotiedotteet/0000_tiedotteet/tiedote_20121231_1/index.html?bc=3035