UK Gift Vat Limit Lowered By £4 - New Limit Is £36

This did not make the news in the UK, but they lowered limit on gifts before VAT will be collected.

Link: http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channels...014#P55_5016

Text from Web Site:
Goods sent as a gift that are over £40* in value are liable to import VAT Customs duty also becomes payable if the value of the goods is over £135 but is waived if the amount of duty calculated is less than £9.

*Please note this limit will reduce to £36 with effect from 1 January 2013.

To qualify as a gift:

the customs declaration must be completed correctly
the gift must be sent from a private person outside the EU to a private person(s) in this country
there is no commercial or trade element and the gift has not been paid for either directly or indirectly by anyone in the UK
the gift is of an occasional nature only, for example, for a birthday or anniversary

Note: if you purchase something from outside the EU to give as a gift to a relative or friend, whether or not addressed to that person, it is treated as a ‘commercial consignment' for which the import VAT relief threshold in paragraph 2.3 applies.

Just something to keep in mind, when seeing items to the UK from non-EU countries.

Ken