Post Brexit: VAT Not Paid on Older Boats

[RobbieW]

... I met an American whose boat was likely to overstay its welcome as he through illness had been forced to stay away for a while. He had paid EU VAT/import duty (not sure of exact details) on it to avoid having to remove it and is free to take the boat in and out of the EU as often as he wants and he's never been a citizen or official resident. He is still of course personally time limited.

Thats my understanding of the situation too. I have an american friend with a US registered but EU VAT paid boat that is currently kept in Italy; bought in the EU and kept there. The boat didnt lose its VAT status when he moved the boat onto the US register.

 

[lw395]

Thats my understanding of the situation too. I have an american friend with a US registered but EU VAT paid boat that is currently kept in Italy; bought in the EU and kept there. The boat didnt lose its VAT status when he moved the boat onto the US register.

Being on the US register doesn't alter the fact that it's permanently based in the EU.

 

[Birdseye]

That should be “nobody asked. Nobody cared” (past tense). Partly as boats crossing channel were all within EU and hence probability was that not any VAT issue.
Whether that will be true in future now that the U.K. has spent two years giving a very public two fingers to the EU is a different matter. If the EU Commission advice given to RYA is correct, the border officials may decide VAT status needs to be checked much more. Who knows, but we have hardly ingraciated ourselves to our neighbours officialdom.

I agree. They, the furriners across the channel, will be wondering much the same thing and their officials will be wondering how to handle things. Inevitably, at first it wont be as relaxed. Likely there will be new instructions issued to officials. Likely the officials will follow these as best they interp[ret them after the 29th. And without doubt some officials will see it as an opportunity to show the brits the error of their ways in leaving the EU.

If we do that is.

 

[DownWest]

Reading this thread, which doesn't affect me as a French resident with a French flagged boat..I got to wondering what the French guy, who asked me about the SSR, will do..
He owns a 40ft ketch, that he put on the SSR, using his daughter's address in UK. He speaks little English and was concerned if he would be asked questions when sheparding a bunch of smaller boats on a X channel trip to UK. At the time, I said unlikely to be any interest at all (must have been 4yrs ago) But now..? Not in UK, but here.

 

[lw395]

Reading this thread, which doesn't affect me as a French resident with a French flagged boat..I got to wondering what the French guy, who asked me about the SSR, will do..
He owns a 40ft ketch, that he put on the SSR, using his daughter's address in UK. He speaks little English and was concerned if he would be asked questions when sheparding a bunch of smaller boats on a X channel trip to UK. At the time, I said unlikely to be any interest at all (must have been 4yrs ago) But now..? Not in UK, but here.

I expect leaving the EU might inconvenience a few car tax fraudsters and other dodgy people cheating the system too.

 

[GTom]

Reading this thread, which doesn't affect me as a French resident with a French flagged boat..I got to wondering what the French guy, who asked me about the SSR, will do..
He owns a 40ft ketch, that he put on the SSR, using his daughter's address in UK. He speaks little English and was concerned if he would be asked questions when sheparding a bunch of smaller boats on a X channel trip to UK. At the time, I said unlikely to be any interest at all (must have been 4yrs ago) But now..? Not in UK, but here.

Registration, especially SSR has little to do with tax status. A bill of sale might be useful though, showing French residency of the buyer.
Anyway, the actual brexit process is pure guesswork just like it was 2 years ago...