Smid

Those agreements and limits are based on something we will not be a member of in 6.5 months time, we will not be subject to the same laws. I've no idea if those countries will allow you to exit with such "unlimited quantities". They certainly won't allow you to enter with unlimited quantities given they could be cheap forgeries from a now untrusted country.

alex67500

Careful what you wish for. Booze is cheaper on the Spanish high street than in most airport duty free shops, and you won't be able to bring as much back. Same with fags if you're bringing them back from SOF/ATH/PRG etc. because you have to compare 45-55 pounds a box of 200 from HAL/BA High Life to about 40 Euros on the high street. And you'd be limited to 200 vs 800 at the moment (outside of a customs union, you won't be able to bring as much back).

flatlander

The (possible, seeming increasingly likely) end of being able to France and fill up the back of the car with good quality wines to bring home at €5 per bottle at the Hypermarché is only one small loss from Brexit.

rapidex

That has now come to pass from January. The Government has now published its duty and tax free sales rules.Also no claiming back vat on electronics and clothing, for anybody.

Jagboi

Really? So if I buy a suit in London and export it to Canada I have to pay VAT?

rapidex

Correct.

macdrew

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/d...m-january-2021

Misco60

Not if you have it shipped directly to Canada (though the cost of shipping might exceed the VAT saved).

Ldnn1

No. You can buy it VAT-free if you have it delivered straight to Canada from the shop. However if you walk away with it and later take it to Canada, no VAT refund.

plunet

This going to annoy high end retailers in major shopping centres, as well as the airports. Even places like Bicester Village are going to be to hugely impacted when travel restarts - visitors are going to go shopping in the rest of Europe, not the UK.

Jagboi

I agree. It seems that most of the "tax free" places have a commission, so in reality a shopper only gets about 10% back, not 20%.

However, the last time I left LHR the person in front of me at the VAT reclaim counter was getting a refund of £10,000. He wanted it in cash and they actually ran out of money and had to get more for him. So that means he must have spent at least £100,000 on goods he was exporting. I was not getting anywhere near that amount back...

Giblets

When I went through LHR late July, duty free had some decent offers on spirits, down 25% ish, but just seemed to be the prices from 5 years ago. I suspect most brits will be looking at the duty free prices at the airports coming back though.

tom139

This is awful news for me. Always made large purchases at T5 from luxury retailers like Hermès and Chanel when travelling outside EU for considerable saving on UK high streets AND Heathrow rewards

Bohinjska Bistrica

Ridiculous that tax-free shopping in airports is being stopped, albeit in broad terms I've never been persuaded that the saving is actually passed on.

I also don't imagine that the benefit to the treasury from removing the VAT refund mechanism is particularly great either. Indeed, those inclined to spend will just find an outlet mall in Paris or similar that does the job instead and the benefit to the treasury will be further depleted.

Surprised to see the alcohol allowances raised, although again unless you're looking at Smirnoff/Gordon's etc, the price you pay for spirits in duty free is usually the same as the high street. Still, Spanish Excise duty rates are lower than the UK so there is that...

Nothing really in here either to persuade BA to grab a slice of the action, I don't think. Not unless they want to sell spirits!
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Bohinjska Bistrica

Assuming it's still wine that you're purchasing you'll be able to bring back 18 litres of it. Or 24 bottles, assuming standard size.