It is very definately the dodgers that are robbing you.  That isn't politics it is economics.  The taxman can and does only collect money you owe.  If others illegally dodge that it just means the other honest folk have to stump up higher levels to compensate for the short fall.  Whether the government delivers all they promise is a totally seperate issue and is politics but the facts are that whatever we do get, is paid for by taxes and collecting them is what the taxman does on our behalf.

can't agree sorry. The tax man takes by far and away more than is ever needed, which has effected many many businesses and thrown people bankrupt. look at fuel prices for one. Also, you pay a mortgage, on money earnt you are taxed on, and if you decided you wanted to sell part of the property the tax man takes a HUGE gulp as capital gains tax. property in family, very often purchased with money that has been heavily taxed, and finally the mortgage is paid, and the now elderly pearson has to go into care. never mind that they have paid into the system for years, that property has to be sold and the proceeds used to pay for care which has already been paid for. if that person died whilst living in their home, which by now owning to their struggles and penny pinching they have paid for, and that property has gone above the tax band, once again the tax man takes huge sums in inheritance tax. The gov are trying to put road tax up for people with 4 wheel drives for goodness sake! every way you turn in this country you are taxed, which is why so many people are moving abroard, we lose excellent health staff, cars and other items are made abroard simply because things are cheaper there, and i don't mean the sweat shops, simply the raw materials being cheaper because of less tax of one sort or another. Ask any business man what he thinks of the tax in this country, any farmer, any haulage contractor, anyone trying to make a living. My husband, who works long hours to give us basic living, allowing me to stay at home to raise our kids, and yet at the end of the month a huge portion is taken by tax. yes, Im ranting, because i know so many people personally who suffer because of the tax man, who because of rates raised has not been able to compete in their long established business world. In just about everything we buy, from food to clothes, cars, to name a few, we are heavily taxed. All of this to me is unfair, and you will note from having read the news over the past few years, I'm not alone.

I think you are totally confused between the taxman and the Government.  The Government decides what taxes are payable but the taxman is a civil servant directed by them to collect it.  Budgets are set in anticipation of what is due to be collected.  If people dodge it, the rest of us, you and I, will have even more tax targets set to meet the deficit.
What you are complaining about is entirely political and I could have endless discussions with you on the fairness of making those who have pay in order to fund services for us all but it really has nothing to do with the issue here :) Don't even get me started on the subject of the huge proliferation of 4 wheel drives on our roads either although I would say, you do not pay capital gains tax on the proceeds of the sale of your home only second properties on which I am, personally, perfectly willing to pay my 40% because it is an investment like any other so why should it be exempt.
The point is whether taxes are fair or not people dodging them to leave it for the rest to pay more is most certainly not.

You do pay capital gains tax on what is your home if you sell part of it, as in ground or buildings thereon. I don't know of anyone who is happy in any way to pay 40% tax on something they have purchased, and pennypinched to own, maybe over many years, and already paid tax on that money, to have the tax man take such a huge chunk! yes we have to pay tax on investments, that guiles me also because the money invested has already been subject from tax from simply being earned. And I, and many others who have to use them, object to having to pay extra road tax for what is an essential vehicle , especially if you live in the depths of the country or are farmers. After all, there are many large vehicles (people carriers for large families, large estate cars etc) that take up just as much road room etc that will not be caught under this new tax rule. And yes, I know the gov instruct the tax man, but the end result is the same, and the fact remains that we pay far to much tax in this country. The highly inflated tax on fuel for example, makes the prices you and I pay for our food, clothes etc far more than many other countries have to. back door tax. And it comes to something when it is actually cheaper to buy items such as dog food, cars etc from abroard even with paying whatever charges are added. I am not saying we should be exempt, although that would be nice...but what I am saying is that in this country we are taxed to death, and many have suffered because of it. This opinion is shared not just by me, but by thousands in this country like me. i won't go on, because this is a 'dog' board, and not the place for it. so, I'll end by saying perhaps it best we agree to disagree on this one, no hard feelings.

> the fact remains that we pay far to much tax in this country.

I totally agree that we pay too much tax in this country.  However, I also think we pay too much for a decent Merlot or Rioja but I don't go around Sainsburys nicking bottles of the stuff.  If lots of people did then the price would be even higher.  Same way as people think that stealing credit cards doesn't matter because the owner will get the money back and the bank will cover the cost - wrong, it is always JP that ends up paying in the end. 

Genuine mistakes are made by people and this is understandable, however, deliberately avoiding tax is totally another ball game and is illegal.  If you are prepared to chance flouting the law then also be prepared for the consequences of getting caught.

If you think we pay too much tax in this country, then move - the EU is open to all now and there are many countries to move to.

If you decide to stay in the UK, then abide by UK law and pay the tax due.

I don't mind paying tax - I do mind how its spent and wasted though!

Good point Chloe.

Tax is wasted on those who deliberately buck the system

Indeed, there was a bloke on television who had 16 children and he lived in a council house and he wanted a bigger house (he lives in the current one with his wife AND his girlfriend!) so that the various grandchildren (!) come over they could have a room each, because at the moment they have to sleep in a tent outside....!

If you can't afford a bigger house - stop filling it up with children I say!! Why should we have to support that lot?!

:D :D :D I really don't why your post really made me laugh.  I hope you don't mind.  Replace the first word "indeed" with "Yer but, no but, yer" and read the rest really quickly. :D :D

Seriously though I agree with what you say. I carefully planned when I would start a family as I wanted to be buying a house, own my own car and be sure that OHs income would cover me being off work.  My kids have never gone without but they haven't been showered in luxury either so it makes me cross when I see those on benefits in designer gear and dripping in gold as it sends out the totally wrong message to youngsters.

I don't think you pay Capital Gains Tax on your main residence - ie your home - only on second or more properties that you might make a profit on.

Just to clear up an ambiguity...I said dodge the taxman, which I didnt mean to be taken as in avoid it altogether! Not the best choice of wording, especially as i am a law abiding person...if the lady who is purchasing the food can find a 'loophole' to do what she is doing, thereby dodging the taxman, then I say good luck to her!             Capital gains is payable if you are not selling your whole main residence, but a part of it. An example, you have a very large garden and decide to obtain planning consent for a house. The sale of that plot, despite the fact you have maybe had a mortgage for years or whatever, will have a 40% capital gains tax bill added to it. same if your main residence has say a barn, you have planning consent to develop and sell, once again capital gains tax is applied. I think its the amount of tax is the problem, not having to pay something, although it personally guiles me to have to pay tax when selling a part of your home, rather than a second, unrelated property. it also guiles me to see where it goes, as in the family with umteen kids, as an example. Thats just one family, how many more are we carrying? Why was the comment made 'if you don't like the tax laws, leave the country'? I don't like the tax laws, and if everyone in this country, that had a genuine grievance with the tax laws left, then there would be very few people left! Look at the papers, especially the Express today, just see how deep the feeling is in this country regarding the harsh tax laws. There is a well worn saying....'Born free, taxed to death' which is soooo true in this country. I guess if it was your business that had closed, or your family that went without because dad is now out of work, you may think differently than to make the 'if you don't like it leave' comment.

Um, I didn't make the "take it or leave it" comment. Thanks for clearing up the Capital Gains point - thats interesting and I didn't know that.

SORRY.... I know you didnt, was just carrying on, should have stopped and found the writer and made my comment there! Posted before preview...wrong button...or I would have seen the whole reply was going to you!

What's the difference between dodging and avoiding all together? Whether you are stealing a little from the other tax payers or a lot, it's all stealing.
I think if you are selling off even part of your estate it cannot be regarded as essentially your home.  You are obviously able to do without it and it was therefore an investment.  I spend a large part of my time in my second property, it is very much like a home to me but I recognise I could live just as well the single one.
But again I would say this is all besides the point.  You are confusing the issue as to whether any particular tax is fair, or which services that they pay for are deserved, which will always be a matter of opinion, with whether it is reasonable to dodge and leave others to carry the burden.  Anyone who suggests, or even eggs on tax evasion, as a point scored for the rest of us could not be more wrong.

Tax avoidance - where parts of an estate are made into separate companies rather than a whole, for example, to pay a lower level of tax - is legal. Tax evasion - where you don't declare income, or smuggle goods - isn't.

If some money can be saved by importing whatever, be that food, beer, fags, cars, etc, that is done legally yet still saving the purchaser money, then what is your problem? Theft is a completly different matter. Importing legally is not a crime. 'Dodging' or saving yourself some money by way of this and avoiding some tax is good housekeeping, not a crime. My gran always said take care of the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves, and she was right. As to the sale of property that forms part of the home. If it was sold as a whole no tax would be payable, but, because in many cases the sale is to sort out flagging finances, allowing the owner to stay in their home rather than adding more debt by way of loans etc, or for an elderly person to remain in their home but with a garden that is to large to cope with now they sell part of it they are hammered with tax, I think that 40% is way to steep. very often it is not property that 'you can do without' but property which certainly did form part of family life that really the family would not wish to sell, but needs must. Perhaps you have been lucky enough to not have been in that position, and I hope you never are. its hardly the luxury of owning a second home, then selling to make money, but for necessity to stay in the main of the property. In fact, for whatever reason land or buildings that form part of your home are sold you should not have this size of tax taken. perhaps you don't mind shelling this out, I can't honestly think of anyone who would! Thats why accountants are used to help find ways of offsetting this tax. If you think Im alone in this, just check out todays papers, with special interest to the other tax scandal, inheritance tax. I'm not confusing any issues, simply stating what I think. And, if anyone can avoid tax by ways which are legal, then as a tax payer I say damn good luck to them! To clarify.....avoiding tax by any legal means I totally agree with. To avoid tax illegally i do not agree with, and those that get caught deserve whatever they get.

>If some money can be saved by importing whatever, be that food, beer, fags, cars, etc, that is done legally yet still saving the purchaser money, then what is your problem?

No problem at all, but declaring it as a gift, for instance, in order to avoid paying the tax that is due on imported goods that are not gifts is not legal.

>'Dodging' or saving yourself some money by way of this and avoiding some tax is good housekeeping, not a crime.

You are not avoiding paying tax by importing, you are avoiding paying tax if you do not declare its true nature on import and that is evasion, not only a crime but one that causes more expense to the rest of us.
So if I did not wish to sell my second home but had to because I found I needed the money to stay in my first home, when we retire for instance, should I be exempt from paying CGT?

>To avoid tax illegally i do not agree with, and those that get caught deserve whatever they get.

I'm glad we finally agree, now perhaps you can explain how you can import goods and not owe any tax on them?

My dear, we are never going to agree, far to differing personalities, lifestyles, beliefs. as I said, if there is a legal loophole, use it, capital gains tax is extortionate, as is all the other seen and unseen taxes in this country, an opinion shared not just by me but every businessman/woman in the country, and those who can actually see over the box and see what we are all talking about-us outside in the big bad world, struggling to better our lives, working long hours and seeing lots of it go in tax, from our wages, in council tax (DON'T start me on that one!) fuel tax, to name a few. So, if you are quite happy handing over your 40% of your second home, so you can retire in your main home, to the tax man, fine. just don't expect everyone to think the same as you, because the majority of people in this country would be as pig sick about having to give up such a huge sum of money as I would. And while Im on, check out inheritance tax level...around £250,000 or £275,000 (not got paper in this room) after that all your hard earned property will have 40% removed. So, you could pay the 40% capital gains, then say a year or two later have the same taken off your money again! of course, you could 'gift it' out, make sure that after 7 yrs (or is it 9) that you live after gifting it, it would be free of I tax. But then, that would be dodging the tax man too, wouldn't it..........Have fun, be happy, no more I'm through xxxxx

You are right we can never agree I don't object to paying my taxes, if I pay inheritance tax as well that is fine because it is due and everyone else honest is paying it too. 
You still seem unable to differentiate between legal loopholes and ones that are achieved by lying.  Legal loopholes are fine, yes, well done anyone clever enough to find them but lying to dodge tax is neither legal or fair to anyone else left picking up the tab.
I don't know how many other ways there is to say the same thing and still be totally misunderstood because you are only able to consider whether you think a tax is fair or not and not consider whether it is reasonable to dodge it and leave it to the law abiders. :rolleyes:

I thought the £36 gift rule for customs and excise had been increased dramatically May well be wrong tho.

See http://tinyurl.com/nwatq 2.4

Daisy

Thanks for posting that link Daisy, I think that explains the 'gift' rule very clearly.

I have had to pay Import Tax on anything I have bought from the USA, from clothing and shoes to dog beds.

Having been hammered £28 for CHRISTMAS presents a good friend in Florida sent me, all documents filled out correctly, I'd say you're skating on very thin legal ice. Especially as you are buying from a retailer in the USA, so are technically only allowed £18 per parcel before VAT is due. Customs WILL catch up with you sooner or later and I'd reckon they'd easily be able to ask Petco for details of your account activity or even get them from your credit card and you'll end up with a lovely big fine that will far outweigh your savings. The reason it costs more here is it's made in the USa and shipped here, the importers paying all the taxes you're evading, hence they have to charge more. And as for the comment about not having to pay VAT and Customs on stuff from eBay, that's another one where you're taking a gamble.

Luckily my dogs don't do well on Nutro and my Superdog Sensitive is imported all the way from the US of A (Uther Side of Ashton)... sorry, that's a joke you'll only get if you live in the North West of England. :D

Thanks all, i would have replied sooner.. but couldnt find my own thread... Just seemed to blend in with the others I guess.

Goods

Relief given


One item valued at £36 or below

Free of customs duty and import VAT.

I believe the above is how i was able to avoide the huge charge before.  But I called the customs office and going forward I will pay the import tax, i am not subject to customs duty. 

The difference would add £8.50 to my total and still place me way ahead of the curve.  I'm not sure if the original point has gotten lost in all this, but the concept really is that I am getting 36kg of dog food from american for less than 30 KG from PAH. 

Thanks for all the constructive replies.

That's great that you still come out ahead and are not going to have a huge bill or even worse, the men in black on your doorstep one morning. :D

I haven't looked inot this myself, but have you priced the food up in continental Europe? If you can get it for a good price in an EU country, you don't have to pay anything extra like you do from the USA.

Hi, Phoebe.  You know good point.  I've been travelling over the last two years, and I did notice things were a bit cheaper in Italy, i'll take a look.  I will be in Amsterdam and Belgium next month so thats something i will look at.  (Truthfully, i always found it harder converting Euros to Pounds to Dollars in my head, LOL)

I will not look at France.  The most expensive place i have ever been!

Quirky,

I'm curious how you ordered from Petco when the shipping information on their web site states, "Shipping to international locations is not available." 

Stacey

I say if you can get away with it,go for it! :) Its not as if customs doesnt know whats in that package,they would be well aware of everything in every package that comes through,nothing is going to slip by!

Some are acting as iff your smuggling dead bodies or drugs across the boarder We are talking about getting dog food for cheap here people,there are far worse things one can do.This subject isnt even worth arguing about IMO,personally i have better things to do ;)

Quirky good luck to ya and i hope you continue on saving money :)

Right there with you sara!

me too!

>Its not as if customs doesnt know whats in that package,they would be well aware of everything in every package that comes through,nothing is going to slip by!

Of course customs may not know what is in the package the only thing they are "well aware" of is the declaration unless they choose to investigate which obviously they cannot do with ever single package sent.
Buying food abroad because it is lower prices is a great idea, if you can be bothered ;) but I am genuinely shocked that so many people on here seem to think it is OK to lie and cannot see that the accumulation of people doing this sort of thing affects the economy for us all.  Fortunately quirky now seems to have now taken that on board and is happy just to take the saving on price, clearly basicly an honest person once it was explained to her.