Import charges on postal packages

Sir, – In early August, I ordered a record from a store in Toronto at a total of $52 Canadian (about €38), including postage. In mid-September, I discovered that the parcel had been returned to the sender, marked “refused”. The store tried again; however, the parcel was again refused entry and returned to Toronto. It was suggested that the problem lay in a failure to include my phone number in the documentation, so having supplied that, we tried again. Eventually, in mid-December, the record arrived. It had taken four months and five trans-Atlantic crossings but it arrived. And after all of that, there were no VAT or customs charges applied. – Yours, etc,

DAVE BRUEN,

Dublin 5.

Sir, – I have recently received two parcels from the UK, both carrying the word “book” in the customs declaration and the bookshop name on the outside. An Post has charged me 23 per cent VAT on both, despite the VAT rate on books being zero. The notification from An Post contains the threat of returning the parcels if the charge is not paid, but gives no information as to how the charge may be appealed. I paid both charges. After a query to the An Post online help site, I was given an email address to which I could send an appeal. In both cases I had to provide a copy of proof of purchase, and I now have notifications that the VAT on both will be refunded but may take some time because of a backlog of repayments. I await with bated breath to see whether An Post will also refund the fee of €3.50 it charged for each error. Yesterday I took in a book parcel from Australia for my next-door neighbour on which, she says, no charge had been levied. A bit of consistency is needed here. – Yours, etc,

READ SOME MORE

BRIAN HODKINSON,

Reboge,

Limerick.