Customs duty laws to change

Goods bought online from non-EU websites under the value of £105 will no longer be subject to customs duty from 1 December.

The move, announced today by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), means Christmas shoppers in the UK can avoid paying extra taxes on certain items if they make their purchase online.

Doug Tweddle of HMRC said: "If you’re buying goods from countries outside the EU, it’s in your interests to know what the rules are.

"Some websites don’t always make clear there is duty to pay, while others may undervalue your goods to try and avoid paying charges. But if goods are found to be wrongly declared, they may be seized and the customer penalised," said Tweddle.

HMRC has launched a podcast explaining the changes, which can be downloaded from its website.

www.hmrc.gov.uk/podcasts

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