Closed petition Increase VAT allowances on goods imported in the post from outside the EU

Closed on 24 August 2012

Any goods over the value of £18 imported through the post into the UK from outside the EU are liable to import VAT.
Royal Mail currently charges a 'handling fee' of £8.00 for collecting even the smallest amount of VAT. This handling charge is frequently far larger than the amount of tax collected.
With many people purchasing small items internationally, a good buy on eBay at £20 can be turned into a very expensive one when a £12 fee is demanded before one can receive one's own property.
Allowances on postal imports have not been increased in a long time, whilst the Royal Mail handling charge has more than doubled in the last decade.
We call on the government to increase allowances to a level where VAT is not payable on postal imports when associated handling charges would be disproportionally large.