Date: Wed, 23 Aug 2000 09:44:38 -0700
From: Daniel James <djames @ serv.net>
Subject: Re: [ILF] VAT Relief Scheme

On Wed, Aug 23, 2000 at 11:31:18AM -0500, Mike T. Payne wrote:

> purchase at least 50.00 in the store and present your passport and
> fill out this form that you mailed in upon your return back home.  It
> then takes several weeks to receive a cheque.

For what it's worth, when crossing the border here back from Canada,
they have several places you can stop (just before crossing I believe)
where you can drop off you forms and they will refund your PST (which
is only half of the 15% GST/PST Canadian sales tax but still not too
shabby).  I think they do it on the spot.

I've never actually tried it myself.  I'm afraid I'll upset the good
karma that has kept me from having to pay duty on all the goodies I've
brought back due to the relatively weak value of the Canadian dollar
these days :)

Anyway, my point is, that I don't remember if they have these sort of
places at the various ports of departure from the UK.  As Mikey says,
there is no facility to handle the refund of VAT from online sales.

If you ask me, the online vendors should simply not charge VAT for
items shipped out of the country.