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Some claim postal firms are charging incorrect duties on items received in the UK from abroad. This also includes items which are supposed to be exempt from such duties. Brad Ashton of tax firm RSM UK said the charges had left people “between a rock and a hard place”. He explained that it appeared as though people had little choice but to pay steep charges even if they didn’t believe they were due.
Accrington Stanley FC owner Andy Holt brought attention to a case which raised concerns Britons were being overcharged for delivery services.
After leaving two pairs of prescription glasses in Spain, he asked for them to be posted back but was told by the time they had arrived in the UK he would be required to cover the costs of a series of taxes before they could be returned to him.
A letter informed Mr Holt the “delivery of this parcel to you is subject to payment of Customs charges… on behalf of HM Revenues and Customs”.
These included Customs Duty charge of £16.66, a £12 Clearance Fee and just shy of £170 for Import VAT.
The owner insisted this could not be correct.
He wrote in a post on Twitter: “I have told them they are my glasses bought in this country, prescription and second hand.
“They are not being imported being imported. They are being reunited with their proper owner.”
Mr Holt added that when he approached Parcel Force for advice, they claimed he would have to pay the charge and then claim it back using a claims form.
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It notes that it will not enter into disputes itself – that issues should instead be raised directly with the Government’s tax authority.
Parcelforce has refuted the allegations, reports the Telegraph, and instead blames those sending items for making errors on their customs declaration forms.
Simon Sutcliffe of accountants Blick Rothenberg told the paper the “sea change” of post-Brexit tax rules has made it more difficult for people to deal with a more confusing system.
Duties charges are calculated based on the sender’s customs declaration forms, allowing for the possibility of human error.
But Mr Sutcliffe insisted Royal Mail and others are being overly “prescriptive” with charges and are not offering enough help when customers raise questions.
He said: “They are in a rush to push these parcels through and not exercising enough discretion when something has probably been filled out wrong.”
A spokesperson for Parcelforce said: “The information that we submit to HMRC for assessment is based entirely on the customs declaration that the sender has filled in, and we are not responsible for any errors in the information that we have received.
“Anyone who thinks that they have been charged taxes or duties from which they should have been exempt must first pay the charges, and then submit a ‘BOR286’ form to HMRC, requesting that the charges be reviewed. HMRC will then refund any charges that it agrees are incorrect.”
