Claiming A Tax Refund

By Liam McGulliver Fletcher

Any foreign tourist from outside the EU is entitled to shop at Tax Free shops in London and UK. Generally the shops display the logos 'Tax free' and it is at these places that you are entitled for a refund of the value added tax that you have paid on the purchases. To be entitled to the tax refund in the European Union, the visitor should not be a resident of any of the EU countries. And that is the basic reason why people are crazy about shopping in the London and UK.

One can claim for the VAT only after having spent a bare minimum amount on the purchase. The minimum amount varies from country to country. And once the purchase is over and you are waiting for a refund, you will have to show proof of exportation by getting it stamped at the Customs office. Once your tax free cheque is stamped you may get the refund from various refund offices and you can choose a way that is convenient for you. Frequently, the tax refund is credited to the credit card or in certain cases the money is sent to the bank account.

Shopping in the UK has never been so interesting for people from outside the EU and next time you visit UK or London, make sure you carry a separate provision to store all the things that you have purchased in the tax free shops.

Claiming your tax back is very simple, when in the tax free shop in the UK, you should ask the shop assistant for a tax free cheque (after having spent the minimum amount of course) and then when you go through customs before leaving the UK, you should get the cheque stamped by the customs officer for approval, and then upon arriving at your destination airport, you should show your stamped refund cheque along with your passport and credit card to get the full amount of tax you paid credited back to your card or to your bank account.

This tax free shopping scheme was created for the benefit of tourists from countries outside the EU who visit the UK or another European participating country.

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