European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 28, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tips to help with vat Helsinki Turku Tarn pure Marlc Hamn Vaasa Kovaniemi and Valoon Board ferries o the finn Jet Silja Viking lines and Vaas ferries before the ship leaves the Harbor and at major land Border Crossings. France the French tax varies from 7 percent to 33 percent with most goods having about 19 percent tax. Refunds Are available on items costing More than 1,200 francs about $160 for persons living outside the dec and 2,000 francs about $265 for those living in dec countries. A passport must be shown at the time of Purchase. Refunds Are Given to persons Over 15 years old who have been in France less than six months. The shop will fill out a form veme a exportation which the customer must sign and show along with the purchases at the Border. Mail the validated forms to the customs office for a refund or get a Cash refund at the Airport s Desaxe customs Booth. Refunds May also be credited to charge cards. Many Large department stores allow the customer to total up items purchased and fill out one refund slip for them All. This is a help when buying a number of lower priced items. A we come to France brochure available from tourist offices explains the system. Germany the tax is 14 percent and major stores offer the refund without a minimum Purchase. The form is filled out and presented with the unused items at Border Crossings. Refunds May be mailed in German Marks. At the Frankfurt Airport refunds May be collected at the Bank or at branches of the shops inside the International departure lounge. Refunds cannot be credited to charge cards. Members of the . Military Community in Germany can also get the tax off purchases by filling out nato agreement forms. This applies at any shop willing to fill out the form but minimum Purchase is usually 50 Marks about $20. See on base finance offices for forms and information. Great Britain most of the tax is 15 percent. Shops usually set a Purchase minimum of 50 pounds about $70but sometimes the minimum is higher. Harrods for example has a minimum of 100 pounds. At harrods customers with charge cards or store accounts have the refund credited to their balance. The shopper must go to the store s Export office fill out the vat form and leave a self addressed envelope so the store can mail the refund Check. A passport must be shown at the time. The refund is offered on goods taken out of the country within three months. Residents of the United kingdom and Crew members of a ship or aircraft cannot use the plan. The goods must be shown at the customs office upon departure and the form must be stamped and signed. The customer sends the form Back to the shop in the stamped self addressed envelope the shop provided before leaving the country otherwise extra postage must be added. When the shop gets the form Back it will mail the refund or credit it to the account. The rules differ a bit for residents of other dec countries. The minimum subject to change is set at 45 pounds about $63 if the final destination is Ireland 145 pounds about $203 if it is Greece and 163 pounds about $229 for other dec countries. Upon arrival at the final destination produce the goods and the customs form pay local taxes get the form stamped and signed and Send it Back to the shop. The refund will be sent from the shop. Ireland tax rates vary from 8 percent on clothing to 23 with almost every country having a different method for reclaiming value added tax and almost All of them time consuming it is easy for the tourist to say it just in t Worth  but think again get it Down to the Basic things required by every country. Once those things Are accomplished getting a refund May be More painless than you think. Here Are some things to remember 1. Save All receipts and keep them together or stapled to the sack which holds the purchases. If the store seals the bag Don t open it and Don t remove the receipt. 2. Get to the Airport Early on departure Day because the lines can be Long at vat Booths. Be prepared to spend a Little time at Border Crossings if you travel by car. 3. Find out if you must produce the purchases along with the forms. In most cases you do. Pack them together in carry on Luggage if possible for maximum convenience. 4. Fill out everything before you arc ready to leave. It saves time and trouble at the Border. 5. If possible make copies of receipts and the forms to be sent to the store just in Case they get lost. Be prepared for a Long wait for the refund it can take weeks or months. 6. Remember that vat is a consumption tax that also exists on car rentals hotels and transportation. You can t get refunds on those things but you might want to change your itinerary on a one Way Auto rental because the vat is levied at the starting Point. 7. On charge cards the stores May hold the refund to be credited to the account on receipt of the forms. Charges Are then converted at inter Bank wholesale rates plus a service charge from a Quarter of 1 percent visa to 1 percent Mastercard american express. Some stores will not do this because of the paperwork involved. 8. Relatives or friends returning to the United states May find it easier to Send european residents the refunds in foreign currency and let the residents Send Back dollars. This helps beat the High Cost of exchanging Money in Many . Banks. Linda White or 35 percent on other items. New regulations were put into effect last year and Many shops Volunteer that a vat refund is available. Shops May charge a handling fee of 2 Irish pounds about $1.60 for the refunds. To get the refund the customer May have to show both a passport and airline ticket. Goods must be taken out of the country unused within two months of Purchase. Invoices must show the customer s name and address and the vat paid. Minimum value for non dec residents is 50 Irish pounds about $40and for dec residents is 202 Irish pounds about $160. The invoice must be stamped by the customs officer who May ask to see the goods at the Border crossing. It should then be sent Back to the shop. Some shops will credit the refund to charge cards if the card was used for the Purchase otherwise the refund is by Check or Money order. A brochure describing the procedure is available from Irish tourist offices. Some operational details of the plan Are still to be resolved shops should have current refund information. Italy the tax ranges from 9 percent to 18 percent but can be As much As 38 percent on luxury items. Officially the tax is refundable to tourists who Purchase goods Worth a minimum of 250,000 lira about $140 in one shop. But the system works slowly and often shopkeepers prefer to offer discounts so As not to be bothered with the formalities. For the insistent tax free forms should be requested from the store filled out and presented with the goods upon departure. The forms Are mailed to the shop and refunds can take up to 12 weeks. Unless the customer asks for the form there is Little Chance of getting it. Luxembourg the tax is 12 percent on most tourist goods and the minimum for refunds is about $200 total Purchase at each store. The shop gives the customer the form which May be validated at a downtown Luxembourg City customs office so the store May give the refund before departure if you go Back to the store. Otherwise the form must be validated at the Border crossing where the goods May have to be shown. Mail the form Back to shop for the refund. The Netherlands the tax in the Netherlands is 19 percent of which 15.97 percent is refunded. Minimum Purchase must amount to 710 guilders about $245. The form ob-90, with the item is to be shown at the customs office at the Border where it is stamped. The customer must Send the form Back to the shop which forwards it Back to customs. After the shop gets its tax refund it sends it on to the customer. Refunds cannot be credited to charge cards. Norway the tax in Norway is 16.67 percent which is refundable less a 4.5 percent service charge. Since May 1 this year a tax free shopping scheme has been in operation in about 2,000 shops in Norway. It is available to anyone living outside Scandinavia. The Money is refunded at the Airport and Border Crossings. Goods must be exported within a month. Travellers going through Sweden and Finland can also receive their norwegian refunds in those countries since the three Are United in a scandinavian tax free system. Minimum Purchase is 300 norwegian Kroner. The package containing the Purchase must not be opened before crossing the Border and must be presented at the refund station. The purchaser must also show his passport at the station. The shop issues a tax free Check at the time of Purchase which the purchaser must fill out on the Back before arriving at the Border crossing. Shops participating in the plan display a red and Blue sticker. Information is available from Norway tax free shopping Telephone in Norway 02 501880. Spain Spain has a 10 percent consumption tax on most tourist items. The tax refund system operates in major stores with minimum Purchase usually 10,000 pesetas about $62.50. Usually customs inspectors do not ask to see the purchases when validating the form available at the shops at the Border. Return the forms and the government office mails a Check in pesetas. Refunds Are not credited to charge cards. Sweden Sweden s tax is 19 percent and the Tan free Check symme works the same Way As Norway s. The shop fills out the Check the customer fills out the Back of the Check and presents it with the unopened goods at the Border crossing Point. The Money is refunded in Kroner on the spot. Goods must be exported within a week of Purchase and minimum Purchase is 200 swedish Kroner about $26. A Booklet available from the tourist office lists the places where the Check can be presented for ferry and airline passengers. In some cases the refund can be collected on Board ship. At the Stockholm Airport an office in the entry Hall will validate the purchases before Check in if it is inconvenient to put them in carry on Luggage. The tax free Booklet also lists participating shops which display the Blue and yellow tax free sticker. Other countries Greece has no vat but is expected to introduce one soon. Liechtenstein Portugal and Switzerland have no vat. November 20, t.m5 stripes Magazine