Items over €175, coming back from NY - penalty?

[wheels]

Re: Items over €175, coming back from NY - penalty?

Countless posts are saying that people think the customs guys are idiots. Of course they are not idiots but if you bring a few pairs of shirts, a new iPod and a couple of pairs of jeans that you bought home but don't have receipts how can they proove you didn't buy them in Ireland? I've a mate who buys trainers before he goes away so if he were to pack them on the way back they wouldn't be well worn, if he doens't have a receipt they cannot prove he is breaking any law.

 

[ClubMan]

I got a letter from the TV licence crowd recently, which "pretended" that they had called to the house a few days earlier. They had the date kind of scribbled out so I could not be sure when they had called and they had also ticked a box which said they had observed TV receiving equipment on the roof. Pity my aerial is indoors then and the satellite dish well hidden around the back.

Maybe they looked in your window and saw your TV?

 

[ClubMan]

I guess the Customs guys are far too dumb to have worked out that Abercrombie & Fitch isn't sold in Ireland at all

Is it not? I could have sworn that I saw it somewhere on sale in Dublin but maybe I'm wrong...

 

[wheels]

Is it not? I could have sworn that I saw it somewhere on sale in Dublin but maybe I'm wrong...

It's sold in a boutique shop in the Powercourt shopping centre along with the Ohsaka brand. It has also popped up in various club denim/d2 style stores appearently due to shipping errors.

 

[polaris]

I understand that technically, they don't have to prove anything. You have to prove that you paid all appropriate duties regardless of where you bought the products, so it is up to you to produce reciepts or other proof of purchase in Ireland. Assuming that you are smarter than them is just a bit silly.

Is this definite? It seems unlikely that the onus would be on the traveller to prove that he/she purchased the goods in the EU rather than the US.

In other situations, it is up to the State to prove that an individual charged with a crime is guilty rather than that person having to prove his/her innocence.

 

[foxylady]

OK then, you win. These professional Customs officers (who on a bad day will be dealing with drug dealers and professional cigarette smugglers) are going to get all flummoxed and intimidated when the shopper asks them to prove their position. Apologies for my obvious error.

I guess the Customs guys are far too dumb to have worked out that Abercrombie & Fitch isn't sold in Ireland at all (given that any shopper who has a teenage in their extended family is likely to have have their case full of A&F overpriced tat).

A & F is now sold in Ireland albeit one or two shops

 

[rabbit]

I must re-emphasise all duties and taxes should be paid and that this site does not condone tax evasion of any kind.

Sometimes the customs do catch people out and rightfully take appropriate action. If everyone paid the correct tax in this country the vat rate would not be so high.

 

[MrKeane]

Sometimes the customs do catch people out and rightfully take appropriate action. If everyone paid the correct tax in this country the vat rate would not be so high.

Or if the VAT rate was lower people might not be bothered about evading it.