customs- ahhh

[johnomac]

My delorean has finally hit southampton, and to get a lower vat rate customs want me to prove it was exported from the uk or give them a status document;
1. what is a status document??
2. can somebody help me, so i staill have a bank balance?
Thanks,
John

[PJ Grady (Europe)]

Hello John,

I don't know about a reduced VAT rate - but you should have your duty cut from 10% to nothing - as the car was manufactured within Great Britain - and therefore is classed as a reimport.
You need to be very clear on the form that the car was manufactured in GB - and you will qualify to pay only a £50 admin fee (instead of 10% of the cars value + shipping, etc).

I'm not aware of any similar VAT schemes - unless you're importing as a business on a flat rate VAT scheme.

Hopefully this will save you a few pounds!

Drop me a PM if you need any further help.

Darren

[Guinney1971]

johnomac Wrote:My delorean has finally hit southampton, and to get a lower vat rate customs want me to prove it was exported from the uk or give them a status document;
1. what is a status document??
2. can somebody help me, so i staill have a bank balance?
Thanks,
John

Chris Parnham was normally the best person to turn to here, but as he's busy housebuilding...........

do you have a DeLorean Brochure or something similar to hand? There is plenty of info on the internet to state that the cars were built in Dunmurry.

Also, we used to get them imported under BTI code 9705, however in January 2005 HMC&E revoked this BTI as there were so many D's coming in and they didnt therefore consider them 'rare' anymore - so therefore they now attract 10% Duty and 17.5% VAT - and thats on the car and the shipping costs!

Quote from the letter I received about Flopsy:

"Following a review of these vehicles by our Review and Appeals Team we now consider the original decision to be incorrect. Research has shown that these vehicles were mass produced and there are simply too many remaining for them to be considered as Vehicles of Historic Interest. The vehicle is threfore not classified to heading 9705 as there is no evidence that the vehicle has a scarcity value. I should add that this decision does not affect the vehicle covered by this BTI as it has already been imported. It will affect any further DeLorean's that you consider importing in the future. The vehicles will now be classifed within Heading 8703 of the Customs Tariff which attracts 17.5% VAT and around 10% Duty.

Therefore, with effect from the date of this letter, the BTI is revoked and under the conditions laid down in Council Registration 2913/92, Article 12.5(a) (iii) and Article 9 and no longer valid. Please destroy your existing copy."

I had to fill in a C 384 form for Customs before the car arrived which asks for full details of the car, including 'Country and Date of First Registration'. Here I wrote "Built in Dunmurry Norther Ireland - 1st registered in USA in 1981"

Also, when you finally are able to collect your car, make sure you get from Customs for C+E 386, as you will not be able to register your car without it!!

Good luck!!!!

[neal]

I Might be able to help and send you a document if you want.

D M C ASSOCIATES

ITAL DESIGN

LOTUS CARS

FARRANS, McLAUGHLIN AND HARVEY

AND A DELOREAN STATUS REPORT DATED MAY 1980

[steve.s]

i had to pay the 10 + 17.5 vat.

and took customs to court and lost.

i thought that although the cars were UK manufactored, vat was not paid originally and hence when the car is brought back, it is subject to the normal duties.

did any cars get away without paying the 10%?

my argument in court was that they originally classified the car 'rare classic etc' and flat 5%, no more cars were produced !!! and they then said it was not a rare classic. does this mean someone at customs made mistakes and hence were negligent? they stated in my rejection letter that just because someone the week before had the car on a flat rate 5% did not mean mine would be the same.

they make up their own rules (and break them) as they see fit.

[johnomac]

phew, managed to get rid of the nasty 10% duty by sending the invoice to my customs agents. Still paying vat though, but thats a grand saved. Thanks for the advice. Im getting the car collected for me, will they give the transporter guy the c+e 386 form or do i have to make them (like everything else grr customs).

[PJ Grady (Europe)]

That's great news John! Now...about my commission....

Steve - yes, you were stuffed by the C&E people! You can't claim the DeLorean is a rare classic - and anything that went before in terms of BTI won't hold up either. But, the car was manufactured in GB - so it's a reimport - so no duty to pay (other than the £50 flat fee). That's nothing unique to DeLoreans. If you reimported any other British built car - the same would apply. The trick is to explicitly tell C&E that the DeLorean is British built (as most assume it's a US car). I doubt you'd get anywhere if you tried to appeal now....but worth noting for any other prospective importers.

I believe there is a way to reduce the VAT down to 7.5% - but that only applies if you're a motor trader on a specific inland revenue VAT scheme (haven't tried this yet).

Darren

[johnomac]

Its on the truck- after about 20 phone calls this morning i got it cleared and the hauliers on his way. Had my mums car today, locked the damn keys AND my phone in it

[Guinney1971]

thats great news mate (apart from the phone and the car keys of course...)

bet you cant wait to see your new car!!

Enjoy!

[bozzzydmc]

johnomac Wrote:Its on the truck- after about 20 phone calls this morning i got it cleared and the hauliers on his way. Had my mums car today, locked the damn keys AND my phone in it

sh1t!

How the heck did you do that ?

Looking forward to seeing pictures of you and your new toy

[johnomac]

I was carrying some sheets of glass and i put the keys on the parcel shelf while i loaded the glass in the boot. Shut the boot and ended up staring at my keys. Luckily i was near the seat garage and they broke into my car.
Managed to get confused with the locking in the d today and got locked in again! doh!