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No to cheap online booze and fags

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    No to cheap online booze and fags

    EU blocks cheap alcohol online

    The "booze cruise" tradition goes on
    The European Court of Justice has ruled against allowing consumers to buy drinks and cigarettes online at lower duties from other countries.
    Shoppers wishing to get the benefit of buying cheaper goods abroad have to accompany the goods back themselves.

    It had been feared a ruling going the other way would have hit thousands of UK retailers and could have spelled the end for the "booze cruise".

    The decision will come as a relief to the Treasury and ferry firms.

    The UK government already loses duty of more than £1bn (1.5bn euros) per year because of booze cruises, and would have stood to lose a lot more.




    Q&A: Buying from low-duty countries

    Duty on a bottle of wine varies from nothing in 13 EU countries, to 2.1 euros per 75cl in Ireland.

    The European Court had been asked to interpret EU law by the Dutch Supreme Court, after a Dutch wine club objected to being charged duty on a lorry-load of wine delivered from France.

    The EU directive in question states: "As regards products acquired by private individuals for their own use and transported by them... excise duty shall be charged in the member state in which they are acquired."

    A number of EU states, including the UK, had argued that "transported by them" should be strictly interpreted.

    The UK could stand to lose more than most countries by a change in the law.

    A carton of cigarettes bought at Latvian rates, for example, would be seven times cheaper than in the UK.

    A country like France could benefit from the extra business, and the VAT.


    ------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Bugger!
    Rule Number 1 - Assuming that you have a valid contract in place always try to get your poo onto your timesheet, provided that the timesheet is valid for your current contract and covers the period of time that you are billing for.

    I preferred version 1!

    #2
    Maybe now those anti-EU Convervatives and alike will warm up more towards tax harmonisation attempts.

    Comment


      #3
      Overall it is a sensible ruling, if it had gone the other way think of all the extra taxes we would have to pay so that el Gordo could claw back the £16Billion (I think they said £16Billion on the radio) hole it would leave in the government's tax intake....

      That being said as a non-smoker, and now somebody who doesn't get to drink too much I am of course biased, let the smokers and drinkers pay more so I don't have to

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by Ardesco
        think of all the extra taxes we would have to pay so that el Gordo could claw back the £16Billion (I think they said £16Billion on the radio) hole it would leave in the government's tax intake....
        Maybe if Gordon was forced to introduce new taxes it would have sunk him, but now he continues his ways just fine.

        This court decision is not based on Justice, but practical need of Govts.

        Comment


          #5
          I agree, too many countries in the EU had too much to loose.

          Maybe extra taxes would have sunk Gordo, but more than likely the Liebour spin machine would have been wheeled out to tell us all how evil the EU is and how unfair it is and how the "amazing" Liebour goverment are going to have some talks to get some sort of meaningless deal to protect our soverignity, yadda yadaa yadda.

          At least this way Gordo doesn't have a conveniant excuse if he raises taxes (Which he probably will anyway).
          Last edited by Ardesco; 23 November 2006, 09:47.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Ardesco
            That being said as a non-smoker, and now somebody who doesn't get to drink too much I am of course biased, let the smokers and drinkers pay more so I don't have to
            Feck... I bet you're fun to be at a party with
            How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Troll
              Feck... I bet you're fun to be at a party with
              I didn't say i don't like to drink, just that I don't get much chance any more. Ah the joys of marriage and a young child

              I usually try and make up for it when I can go out for a drink though

              Comment


                #8
                Won't make any difference to contractors.

                Who here really goes to the supermarket or off licence and worries about the cost of booze?!

                I suppose it could have make a difference for smokers though.
                Cats are evil.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Persoanlly I think it stinks. The EU was supposed to be a common market. Yes it's common when it comes to meddling in things we don't want but not for the things we do. This was supposed to be a ruling based on Justice and not what is good for each government concerned. Is it fair that somebody in the Euro zone can simply pop over a border to take advantage of the lower taxes in other countries while others cannot simply because of the distances concerned. Form my perspective, a jaunt to France to stock up would be a hell of a treck. Somebody in the south east can simply jump on the ferry.

                  Having such high levels of duty only increases the margins for those smuggling goods.
                  Rule Number 1 - Assuming that you have a valid contract in place always try to get your poo onto your timesheet, provided that the timesheet is valid for your current contract and covers the period of time that you are billing for.

                  I preferred version 1!

                  Comment


                    #10
                    The bottom line is that people vote for the Govt that sets local duties - if it bothered people enough they would have voted them out.

                    Comment

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