Fed Ex - Import Tax & VAT Rort....

[Andy13]

A warning on Bringing anything into the country through Fed Ex 

 

Thai Government can charge me import tax and VAT on a service that I never purchased in the country...

I imported a number of dog products to donate to a dog shelter here in Chiang Mai, The purchase price was $80...

I paid Fed Ex in China to deliver the products to Chiang Mai...

I then get a Bill from Fed Ex Thailand for 1,637.95 baht

They broke it down thus....

cost of the goods 2,551.61 baht

Insurance 25.52 baht  (I HAD ALREADY PAID Fed EX IN CHINA FOR THIS)

Freight 1,612.00 Baht  (THIS WAS PAID IN CHINA AND NOT THAILAND)

CIF Bangkok   4,189.12 

 

Import Duty at 30%  ON THE FREIGHT THAT I PAID FOR IN CHINA (FREIGHT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT I AM IMPORTING, IT IS NOT SOMETHING I CAN USE OR RESALE IT HAS NO INTRINSIC VALUE)

Customs VAT 7%  SO I HAVE TO PAY THAILANDS VALUED ADDED TAX ON A PURCHASE I MADE IN CHINA...

 

IT IS NO FUC*ING WONDER NO ONE WANTS TO DO BUSINESS HERE...

 

SO A DONATION TO THE WVS OF 16 FEEDING MATS GETS TAXED OVER 70% ON THE ORIGINAL INVOICE VALUE...

 

I love Thailand but this crap really wears me down...

 

So Now I have a choice I can pay the 1,612.00 Baht Rort

 

I can just forget the products and the "lovely people" at Fed Ex get to keep the feeding mats

 

Or I can get them to return the products to China, cost  4,836.00 baht????

[rak sa_ngop]

.....and I got angry this morning because a shop would not accept two 50 satang coins instead of one 1 baht coin.  They even suggested I could change the coins at the 7-11.

 

No wonder so many businesses would rather invest in other SE Asian countries.

[Crossy]

Import duty on CIF (Cost, Insurance, Freight) with VAT on the total is a global standard, every country does it. FedEx and the other couriers enforce this rigidly.

 

Next time don't use one of the couriers, use EMS (or whatever the Chinese version is).

 

I just (literally yesterday) received two cheap waterproof cameras (grandkids coming for Songkran), shipped from China via regular post (with tracking). Total cost (shipping was free) USD 120 ish, total duty and VAT payable, zero!

 

 

[BestB]

This is not new but standard with fedex or dhl.

 

theey tax you on total including shipping.

 

regular post and it would have been zero in tax or even if stoped, would have been half.

 

fedex also charges clearing fees and holding fees

[robblok]

8 minutes ago, Crossy said:

Import duty on CIF (Cost, Insurance, Freight) with VAT on the total is a global standard, every country does it. FedEx and the other couriers enforce this rigidly.

 

Next time don't use one of the couriers, use EMS (or whatever the Chinese version is).

 

I just (literally yesterday) received two cheap waterproof cameras (grandkids coming for Songkran), shipped from China via regular post (with tracking). Total cost (shipping was free) USD 120 ish, total duty and VAT payable, zero!

 

 

I am always amazed at so much ignorance concerning taxes. I thought by now people would know they are liable for tax if they import products from abroad. 

 

Also most people by now know that you have to avoid the couriers as they will always hit you up for taxes normal post will not.

 

The rant of the OP is amusing but the Thais have done nothing wrong, this is how things are taxed the world over. The only difference is the percentage of vat and tax and if there is a threshold before you have to pay.

[thaiguzzi]

1 hour ago, Andy13 said:

A warning on Bringing anything into the country through Fed Ex 

You've learnt a valuable lesson.

Try and avoid at all costs doing any business here by having items sent to you by the couriers.

DHL (worst), Fed Ex, UPS et al.

Sender's home country post office is far, far better if possible.

Don't blame Thailand, blame the courier thieves here.

[CharlieH]

As stated, cost+shipping+ins x import duty +vat is the world standard practice.

 

Its also been stated many times on this forum DONT use a courier service if it can be avoided as you WILL end up paying. and sometimes there are even mysterious "processing" and "handling" fees.

 

Lesson learned , hopefully.

[Crossy]

I will add that over the years I have used DHL and the like several times for items too heavy for regular post (anyone sent a lathe from China by post?).

 

In each and every case the sender specified the correct customs tariff code for the item and I was charged the appropriate duty rate (plus VAT of course). I have zero complaints as I knew in advance what to expect. I gave Madam the cash and she paid the DHL chap when he delivered. Yes there was a receipt and sometimes (ok, rarely) things were actually cheaper than I thought they would be.

 

To get an idea of what rate you should be charged have a look here 

http://itd.customs.go.th/igtf/en/main_frame.jsp

note that the site can be slow and is often down.

 

 

[watcharacters]

18 minutes ago, Crossy said:

http://itd.customs.go.th/igtf/en/main_frame.jsp

note that the site can be slow and is often down.

 

 

Good of you to post the site link, but it should come with the suggestion to take a mouthful of Excedrin before opening it.    ????

[Enki]

It is pretty normal to pay import VAT and sometimes tariffs on imported goods. No idea why you complain. Next time do the right thing: come to Germany, order your dog food from China, pay the 19% import VAT and then on top of that the 30% tariff. Then take your bag of goods to the airport and pay the extra weight for the luggage ... then you don't need FedEx ... ????

[roamer]

Don't blame Thailand, this is the courier scam practised worldwide. I can beat it:-) I used TNT to send a camera accessory from the UK to China for repair. Small item cost me $40 to send. Value stated as $50, in fact it's worth zero unless it's repaired. TNT totally screwed up, lost it for two weeks and then it turned up back here with them saying it had been refused by customs in China with no reason given. Problem with that explanation was the Chinese customs cleared sticker on the package. So while email's flew back-and-forth about this and my wanting a refund, I received an invoice from TNT yesterday. They want to charge me £247 ($328) air transportation costs for returning it plus £60 VAT.!!

 

I can deal with it. In their earlier attempts to get out of refunding me, their reason was that I had not booked it directly with them (and therefore had no contract with them)  but booked it  online with a separate company called TNT Direct based in Gibraltar, such company also being outside the jurisdiction of British courts if I wish to make a claim. As if I or anyone else would have known that at the time of booking, complete scam. Useful now though, if by their own admission I had no contract with them then they can't be demanding money from me.