# Importing Heating oil from Northern Ireland



## hand_m (26 Feb 2010)

Does anyone know what the Tax/Legal implications are for bringing Kerosene or Diesel in from Northern Ireland for personal use.? Can you bring this type of oil in legally in 'gerry' cans or in a bowser type oil tank for personal use.?


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## jhegarty (26 Feb 2010)

That would be smuggling.

If you did it legally (paid the duty .etc.) it will cost more than it does down here.


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## hand_m (26 Feb 2010)

That would be smuggling.

If you did it legally (paid the duty .etc.) it will cost more than it does down here.
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Would it be smuggling.? As part of the EU are you not allowed a certain amount for persolal use, similar to other products like Wine etc.


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## rockofages (8 Mar 2010)

It's perfectly legal, and is the reason tax was reduced in RoI on heating oil. My brother lives about a mile south of the border but buys his oil from a northern company.


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## RMCF (8 Mar 2010)

I had this debate recently with work colleagues. 

I live in Ireland but very near the border, and told them that bringing down home heating oil was smuggling. Many disagreed.

Apparently if you pay the duty in it in NI to the UK Exchequer, then it is quite legal to load it into a van and drive it into Ireland and put it into your oil tank.

But you must do it yourself for your own use. An oil distributor can't drive their truck down and put in 500litres for you. Thats not the same thing.


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## mathepac (8 Mar 2010)

Correct. I can fill my car with (relatively) cheap diesel, hop on a ferry and drive around the UK and no-one can accuse me of smuggling *but* I cannot ask my pal to fill his van with jerry-cans of (cheapish) Irish diesel and bring them over to me on his next business trip.


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## RMCF (8 Mar 2010)

mathepac said:


> Correct. I can fill my car with (relatively) cheap diesel, hop on a ferry and drive around the UK and no-one can accuse me of smuggling *but* I cannot ask my pal to fill his van with jerry-cans of (cheapish) Irish diesel and bring them over to me on his next business trip.



I suppose thats right.

After all, all those NI drivers who nipped over the border to RoI to fill their cars with cheap diesel weren't smuggling their fuel back into NI. 

Same must apply to us if we buy NI home heating oil. We have bought it for our own use.


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## Caveat (9 Mar 2010)

RMCF said:


> Apparently if you pay the duty in it in NI to the UK Exchequer, then it is quite legal to load it into a van and drive it into Ireland and put it into your oil tank.
> 
> But you must do it yourself for your own use.


 


mathepac said:


> Correct. I can fill my car with (relatively) cheap diesel, hop on a ferry and drive around the UK and no-one can accuse me of smuggling *but* I cannot ask my pal to fill his van with jerry-cans of (cheapish) Irish diesel and bring them over to me on his next business trip.


 


RMCF said:


> I suppose thats right.
> 
> After all, all those NI drivers who nipped over the border to RoI to fill their cars with cheap diesel weren't smuggling their fuel back into NI.
> 
> Same must apply to us if we buy NI home heating oil. We have bought it for our own use.


 
This is news to me.  Have things changed recently? In the last five years I know of people who were 'done' by customs - AFAIK (friend of a friend) they simply had a few drums for their own use.

I'd be interested in hearing something definitive on this.

Are you guys sure about this?


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## serotoninsid (9 Mar 2010)

what sort of a price differential are we talking about?


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## Caveat (9 Mar 2010)

About 45c per L (NI) is about average these days I think.

So about 20% less maybe?


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## seantheman (9 Mar 2010)

Caveat said:


> About 45c per L (NI) is about average these days I think.
> 
> So about 20% less maybe?


 
Before or after Vat? Kerosene 57c per ltr today in Donegal.
€570 vat inc. for 1000Ltr


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## Caveat (9 Mar 2010)

seantheman said:


> Before or after Vat?


 
Sorry, don't understand.  It's the advertised per litre price, in NI.


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## serotoninsid (9 Mar 2010)

Caveat said:


> About 45c per L (NI) is about average these days I think.





			
				seantheman said:
			
		

> Kerosene 57c per ltr today in Donegal.
> €570 vat inc. for 1000Ltr


27% saving then.  Wish I was that little bit closer to the border....
Will they be adding the environmental duty too next month - or is that just us lot down south?


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## Caveat (9 Mar 2010)

More like 21% isn't it?

0.57 - 21% = 0.4503


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## serotoninsid (9 Mar 2010)

Caveat said:


> More like 21% isn't it?
> 
> 0.57 - 21% = 0.4503


Your quite right of course!


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## seantheman (9 Mar 2010)

according to this site http://www.cheapestoil.co.uk/ £460-£470 seems to be the norm for 1000Ltrs.
so going by todays exchange rate http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert.cgi?Amount=470&From=GBP&To=EUR&x=43&y=14 Works out around €507-€517


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## RMCF (10 Mar 2010)

Inishowen today:

500lit = €300
1000li = €590

Could call your local Revenue office and ask them what the real truth is. Oh, thats right, they aren't answering phones.


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