Now has the final nail been put in the euro coffin
.
The allowance was a incentive to have a holiday in Europe, where
is we normally do the long-haul, a trip once every 12 to 18 mths to
Spain, get stocked up with cigs for wife,cigars for me, & tobacco for
son/girlfriend.
Bought for own use only, money saved went towards other holidays.
.
But now that the euro has killed the goose that laid the golden egg,people
are getting a better deal in Turkey ( Tourists rates very good ), Egypt &
Tunisia.
The decline of the euro-zone, could mean that such has Greece could pull
out, Spain,Portugal,Ireland also having a difficult time.
I know 18 mths ago I got 99cents to the £ sterling in Spain, We went A/I
which was a good job, after looking at prices it would have cost a arm & a
leg for food & drink.
A single Tia-maria then in the hotel was £8.20p.

Those amounts are just guidelines. You will still be able to take back any amount, even more than 3200, provided you can prove that they are for your own use.

luci

We normally bring cigarettes back for a friend but we only holiday in Turkey,Tunisia and Egypt now so only buy on the plane or airport.
It costs more to go to Spain or Greece so even if we did bring back the maximum amount allowed at the moment it would only cost slightly less when you consider the price of the holiday in the first place.
We went to Rhodes in May and the holiday cost twice what we paid for Tunisia and Egypt for a lower star hotel.

how can you prove they are for your own use ?

Start coughing when they stop you and show them an X Ray of your lungs.

Don't know where people get the idea from that's it's expensive to go to Spain, I suppose it depends where you stay and where you shop.
I know plenty of people who get a cheap flight and pop over to Spain for a few days to stock up the ciggies, and I'll probably be doing it myself around February/March.
For a change I quite fancy a city break as we are not going away this Christmas and the ciggies won't last until July, even with those I'll bring back at the end of this month...I usually bring 10 cartons back, but might cut down on the clothes when I pack tomorrow, to make room for 16 cartons.
MY brand is £6.20 pkt in the UK, I can save £2 a pkt in Spain and have a few days away...the saving per packet can go towards paying the flight & hotel..16 cartons = £320 savings...plus the hubby's £320.

Even if I wasn't a smoker, I would still be going away, so why not take advantage of the savings.? I think if or when Spain puts their prices up to the same as the Uk, that will be the time when you're going to be out of pocket.
But if the UK government weren't so greedy, people wouldn't bring them back, if we are in the EU and I've paid the Spanish tax (IVA) then that's not my problem if the UK coffers are reducing.

If they stop me I'll request a doctor with a peak flow monitor...that'll convince them.

Sanji

parker h wrote:

how can you prove they are for your own use ? :que

If you only go a couple of times a year, take back 3200 and said you were a 20 a day smoker then that is likely to be accepted. Also if they are all the same brand rather than different ones.

If you were popping over the channel every couple of week and taking back 3200 then you would have a problem convincing Customs that they were for personal use.

luci

ah i see, i'm a non smoker but do on occasion take some back for my kids, xphx

As an ex smoker I don`t give a stuff.

A friend who is a customs officer told me that as a rule of thumb they have certain alowances designated as personal use. They assume that a packet of fags has a 6 month shelf life so if you have more fags than you can reasonably consume in 6 months then they confiscate.

Anyway you smokers should pay UK taxes on your fags as the money will be used by the NHS to treat you for all your smoking related illnesses!

Anyway you smokers should pay UK taxes on your fags as the money will be used by the NHS to treat you for all your smoking related illnesses!

Statistically smokers actually cost the NHS less than non smokers. Perhaps a good tax gathering exercise would be the fattening foods that some stuff themselves with.

I bring cigarettes back for my own use - knowing what some bring back - non smokers - then perhaps you should actually have to prove you smoke. A registration scheme if you wish.

fwh

i have seen in the past, at dover mainly, customs officers asking passengers to roll their own cigarettes when they have brought back loads of baccy.
it is quite a funny sight.
i have also seen customs ask to see their current open pack of ciggies/baccy and their lighter.
they can be quite cute sometimes when they think people are not being wholly honest

Hi De Hi wrote:

Anyway you smokers should pay UK taxes on your fags as the money will be used by the NHS to treat you for all your smoking related illnesses!

I've smoked for nearly 50 years and have never had to be treat for a smoking related illness....ever.
The information the customs have on the amount of trips you take is taken into account, someone going twice a year and bringing back the amount in the guidelines, would be less likely to be selling them on as someone who goes once a month. This information is gathered from the passport, and the cases are scanned as well.
I rang the number given and this is what they told me.

Would you please not discuss the if's and buts of smoking. This happens everytime a topic regarding cigarettes is raised and always ends up with ill feeling amongst the members.

Thanks.

Shouldn't that have been BUTTS? Sorry!!

Maybe this is to bring the customs in line with what is legally allowed to be exported from Spain to UK? OK you can take in 3200 to UK, but legally you can only export 800 from Spain?

Before anyone gets carried away, this is a change to the guideline on importing tax/duty paid tobacco from an EU country - it does not alter the lower limit for imports from NON-EU countries like Turkey.

And just because an airport shop calls itself Duty Free it doesn't mean the price doesn't include duty.

..........Make sure you don't sit on your butt !.............
.
..............Or you'll burn your Bum...............