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The important things is that the US doesn't have VAT, which makes up the majority of the cost. The de minimis value for import duty is much higher, and the rate
by ascorbic 6y ago
The important things is that the US doesn't have VAT, which makes up the majority of the cost. The de minimis value for import duty is much higher, and the rate is much lower.
- AnssiH 6y agoDo you have some source for the lower import duty rates? They heavily depend on the specific item category - in my experience usually 0% or ~5% for the tech items I've imported (but that is not really enough to draw any conclusions from). The de minimis for import duty in EU is 150€ (compared to $800 in US). Edit: here is the Finnish Customs duty calculator: https://tulli.fi/en/customs-duty-calculator?current=goods¤cy-id=1 https://tulli.fi/en/customs-duty-calculator?current=goods&cu... (VAT is Finland-specific, duties are the same EU-wide). A quick look shows that e.g. phones, computer components, and DVDs are 0%, which probably accounts for most of my €150+ imports and thus explains my experience above...
- ascorbic 6y agoThat's the kind of level I was thinking. Compared with VAT levels of around 20% in most EU countries, with a de minimis level of around €15, I'd call that a low rate and high de minimis level. Edit: it seems there's no de minimis threshold for VAT anymore, so that's even more of a contrast
- AnssiH 6y agoAh, sorry, I misinterpreted your post. I thought you meant that USA import duties are much lower than EU import duties, but I now see you meant EU import duties are much lower than EU VAT taxes. Completely agree then. The removal of the €22 low-value exception for VAT will happen in EU on July 1st 2021, so not in effect yet.