anyone check the customs declarations on ali express purchases?

[thelarkbox]

I was tidying up the garage in prep for bin day and as i gathered up all the ali express bags and packages that have contributed to my garage fun of late i caught a glimpse of a customs declaration for an item i spent about £25 on inc vat etc.. and its declared value was a penny??

It didnt click till later when the bin was loaded and out front, I dont like paying vat but accept it but am a bit miffed if im charged it and its ending up in a chinese bank account and not hrmc..

Is this something anyone else has noticed or even paid attention to??

 

[StuartsProjects]

I would be very surprised if the 'VAT' that Aliexpress charges you actually ends up being sent to the UK TAX authorities.

Cardiff: HMRC brands 11,000 tax bills sent to flat a mystery

HMRC apologises after a man received hundreds of brown envelopes at his flat weekly.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Az.]

It is a common practice. Chinese declare false value of products they send.
They also do other stunts

No evidence of fraud in case with 12,000 businesses registered at flat, MPs told

The head of HMRC said it was ‘a mystery’ why so many businesses had registered at a residential address.

www.independent.co.uk

 

[thelarkbox]

I was aware of the practice when we didnt pay vat as an avoidance tactic by the seller but thought that perhaps naively that the fact that it was now charged at source that the practice had stopped. Not that it was just a 20% price hike. and pop goes my bubble!!

 

[StuartsProjects]

Not that it was just a 20% price hike. and pop goes my bubble!!

Just look at it as a 'benefit' of Brexit in that some suppliers in the far East are now probably getting 20% more for the stuff they sell.