Tax on purchases on European cruises

[La Tomate]

Hi... so watching the videos this weekend. and 20% added on for VAT on purchases in the gift shop. UK - when did you go up to 20% VAT? When I left it was 17.5%
ANYHOO.... cruise related portion of the question - if you're on a European cruise - does the level of tax added onto the prices in the giftshop changes depending on which country you're closest too?
How does it work?

Cheers!

 

[Geomom]

Hi... so watching the videos this weekend. and 20% added on for VAT on purchases in the gift shop. UK - when did you go up to 20% VAT? When I left it was 17.5%
ANYHOO.... cruise related portion of the question - if you're on a European cruise - does the level of tax added onto the prices in the giftshop changes depending on which country you're closest too?
How does it work?

Cheers!

If you're on a cruise that contains a non EU country you aren't charged any tax. We did the Baltic sea cruise, Russia is not part of the EU so no VAT on ship purchases.

For cruises completely in the EU I believe you're charged the VAT of the "home" port (the port that the Magic is doing cruises from)...so Barcelona (Spain) or Civitivecchia (Italy) for the Mediterranean cruises. I'm not sure what happens if you have a one way cruise...if you're charged the VAT of the final destination or the starting port...

 

[La Tomate]

If you're on a cruise that contains a non EU country you aren't charged any tax. We did the Baltic sea cruise, Russia is not part of the EU so no VAT on ship purchases.

For cruises completely in the EU I believe you're charged the VAT of the "home" port (the port that the Magic is doing cruises from)...so Barcelona (Spain) or Civitivecchia (Italy) for the Mediterranean cruises. I'm not sure what happens if you have a one way cruise...if you're charged the VAT of the final destination or the starting port...

Thanks!!! ... sorry, was distracted by the fact I think you did the cruise similar to the one I'm looking at and I was reading your posts

 

[RACHEL_GB]

Hello - we did a one way from Dover to Barcelona in 2016 and a Barcelona round trip in 2017 and I am pretty sure we were charged 21% consistently throughout both cruises, so the Spanish rate of VAT.

And the 20% has been with us for about 10 years I think! My mother (an accountant) learnt her 17.5 times table and she was gutted

 

[pjacobi]

In Europe, it is customary to include VAT in the price marked on the item.

In the US, sales tax is added on at the registers. That always surprised European when shopping in the US.


-Paul

 

[La Tomate]

Hello - we did a one way from Dover to Barcelona in 2016 and a Barcelona round trip in 2017 and I am pretty sure we were charged 21% consistently throughout both cruises, so the Spanish rate of VAT.

And the 20% has been with us for about 10 years I think! My mother (an accountant) learnt her 17.5 times table and she was gutted

That explains it... I emigrated in 2005.
LOL re: 17.5 times table...

 

[La Tomate]

In Europe, it is customary to include VAT in the price marked on the item.

In the US, sales tax is added on at the registers. That always surprised European when shopping in the US.


-Paul

Yah! I'm Scottish, so *very* used to the tax being in the price.... I've been in Canada for 16 years, and I STILL forget about the tax on top at the till. I'm not sure I'll ever get used to it

 

[gismo1554]

Also just to say that the main reason the tax is on the UK Staycations is that we aren't going to any other ports so UK itself is adding the tax. Some European countries do others don't so it does depend on the cruise.