FF/PDs Get into the Christmas Spirit

national | consumer issues | other press

Tuesday December 19, 2006 11:37

by Disgusted

CDs, DVDs and Computer Games Seized

While the government is busily celebrating the greed festival that are SSIAs, (the scheme by which the already well off are made even more well off by the much less well off) they are showing a much less generous attitude to the hapless folk who have gone online to order a few cheap CDs and DVDs from other countries – almost certainly Christmas presents in most cases.

In what must be one of the most miserable yuletide gestures of the year, the Revenue has collected hundreds of thousands of euro by forcing people to pay customs duty and value added tax, plus a 5 euro post office fee on items bought from companies outside the EU and posted to Ireland. Items are sent back if the tariff isn’t paid. Jesus really would have wept.

According to the Irish Examiner ‘hundreds of thousands of euro’ have been collected and the charges can often amount to 50% or more of the item’s original cost. The amount of effort that has gone into this miserliness is staggering. “In order to detect offenders” [Offenders!!!] says Connor Ryan of the Examiner “Revenue is using its legal right to open any parcels which do nt have an invoice attached to the otusdie of the package at mailing centres in Dublin, Cork, Athlone and Portlaoise”.

There has been an increasein the number of confiscations of packages containing CDs, DVDs and computer games arriving from as far afield as Jersey, Hong Kong, China and the US. Apparently 235 packages have been seized.

“Portlaoise parcel-post office has collected 1.375 million euro in duty and VAT on parcels this year to date” said a Revenue spokesman. Staff in the mailing centres mentioned above scan all post and parcels from third world countries as part of their ordinary work, according to the spokesman who also said that Revenue staff are working at their centres for the purpose. Products from Play.com in Jersey and CDWow.com in Hong Kong are likely to be affected by the clamp down as are all products bought from outside the EU zone.

Dermot Jewell of the Consumer’s Association is alleged to have said that the Revenue are ‘merely enforcing the law’.

Funny how FF/PD free market principles evaporate in exacting self-righteousness when the ordinary person in the street chooses to avail of them. Think of the millions of euro that are awarded annually in tax concessions and other leg-ups to big business. And contrast and compare the difficulty we have in charging high profile mega buck fraudsters of the political and commercial variety – despite the expenditure of millions of euro on the attempt – with the energy and enthusiasm thrown into this sad, penny pinching exercise.

Give us a break!

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Comments (7 of 7)

Looks like downloads are in their sights too

Tue Dec 19, 2006 12:07

If the US situation is anything to go by...

http://news.com.com/The+tax+man+cometh+after+iTunes/200....html

Emm.

by Jan Palach

Tue Dec 19, 2006 12:42

Are you familiar with the concept of the common market at all???

Perhaps Santa should bring a couple of encyclopedias around instead of PSP games...

Emm

by Balach

Tue Dec 19, 2006 12:59

Is that the one where the playing fields where supposed to be level within said market, with true competition to be fostered and taxes harmonised with prices going down etc etc, only to have this bunch of crimininals in dail Eireann still impose tarriffs and get round anti competitions laws by changing the name of taxes or import duties to things like registration fees or community rating etc etc..

If your going to defend the EU or this governement please be a bit less flippant and dismissive and spare the attempt at mockery, it just invites it right back at you you simplistic moron.

It now seems clear that this governemnt is absolutelt resolute in making a bargain illegal in this country. They want rampant free and liberal marketing but wont allow the 'allegded' benefits manifest themseves through cheaper goods. This phenomonon is not just related to the interent. its bllody indemic throughout the economy.

O Rly?

Tue Dec 19, 2006 13:09

I never said that the common market was intended to make things fair.

It does what all markets do, makes money for certain people. With certain others catching in the shorts.

I decry all forms of capitalism personally but this "article" attempts to pitch up the machinations of this customs and tarriff union as mysterious and machiavellian when they are clearly nothing of the sort.

Stall the indignation my friend and bring the real critique.

by Spike

Tue Dec 19, 2006 13:52

Just collected a few DVDs from Post office here in Athlone sent from Jersey.

No problems, no tax. I only ordered the things on line as they were not available to me here in athlone

I suppose that the principle is the same with regard to checking if people are abusing the custom/excise when the travel from outside Europe or USA.

Afterall, would anyone here complain if they accepted that the rich who go abroad for their bargins had to pay a little more back to the state? Same principle...you can't have it both ways.

I would have been happy to pay the tax, but I had an invoice attached to the goods so it was all legitimate. It might be a good idea for customers to alert their internet suppliers about the difficulties that arise if there is no invoice attached.

Whaaaa???

Tue Dec 19, 2006 14:07

'Mysterious and Machiavellian'!!!!! Christ no, nothing half so exciting as that is involved. Only laborious and grey begrudgery of the pedantic and mean sprited variety.

Maybe the Irish clampdown is not unrelated to this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/jersey/6110066.stm

Transparency International Ireland

Tue Dec 19, 2006 17:21

At the other end of the tax evasion spectrum, TII have issued a response to the publication of the first Moriarty Tribunal report. These are TII's recommendations:

"1. Grants the Standards in Public Office Commission the power to appoint an Inquiries Officer in order to make initial and informal inquiries into apparent breaches of the Electoral and Ethics Acts by members of the Oireachtas. This would go a long way to cutting the cost and time involved in launching a formal investigation, and thus helping to safeguard the reputation of those subject to any enquiry.

2. Allocates the necessary resources, training and staff to An Garda Síochána to investigate and prepare evidence for prosecutions of bribery in Ireland and overseas. Tribunals are unable to pursue investigations of corruption which may lead to criminal prosecution.

3. Ratifies the United Nations Convention against Corruption which reinforces domestic and international safeguards against corruption as early as possible. The Moriarty Tribunal highlights the trans-national nature of corrupt transactions.

Transparency International Ireland also calls on all political parties to present their fully audited accounts to the Standards in Public Office Commission in a timely manner as a matter of course, and to publish those accounts in detail on their websites. This will help build public confidence in the political process."

Link to full text of document:

http://www.transparency.ie/news_events/moriarty1.htm

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FF/PDs Get into the Christmas Spirit

Comments (7 of 7)