Government issue reminder about lockdown online retail arrangements

The Minister for Trade Promotion, Digital and Company Regulation Mr. Robert Troy, T.D, on January 6th,  issued a reminder to Irish consumers on behalf of the government about the new arrangements now in place for online retail under the recently concluded Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and the UK.

Minister Troy said: “We are now operating under a new set of rules for online trading and I want to remind Irish consumers to be alert to potential additional costs and changed entitlements when buying from UK online retailers.”

“The main concerns for consumers are the possibility of additional costs, by way of VAT and Customs charges that may apply depending on the value and origin of the goods in question.

Some online retailers are alerting consumers to these charges and some are including these additional charges in their final price.

Consumers though need to check out each retailer’s policies and also whether there may be additional charges from the delivery company in respect of fee collection, for example”, the Minister added.

Government action: What consumers should be aware of 

The Minister on behalf of the government said that Irish consumers should be aware that:

• Only goods of proven UK origin are tariff-free.
• Goods bought from the UK but not of UK origin that cost more than €150 may be subject to customs duty.
• Irish VAT will apply on goods bought in the UK that cost more than €22.

Where UK VAT has been charged on the purchase of goods, Irish VAT will still apply when the good(s) is imported into Ireland.

If an Irish consumer is charged UK VAT, a refund of such VAT should be sought by the consumer from the supplier.

Therefore, the Minister reiterated that consumers in Ireland need to be aware: That the convenience and protections that we had enjoyed as EU consumers no longer automatically apply when buying from UK online retailers (as the UK formally exited the EU Single Market on 1 January 2021) and;

that EU consumer protection legislation that applies to goods bought in the EU Single Market does not apply to purchases made in the UK. Instead, consumers will rely on UK consumer protection legislation, if something goes wrong with a purchase.

Minister Troy added: “We want consumers in Ireland to continue to enjoy the benefit from shopping online with the UK as one of our major trading partners, but I would urge Irish consumers to think ahead when buying from online retailers outside the EU and to visit the Consumer and Competition Protection Commission’s website (ccpc.ie) which has lots of clear and useful information on charges and consumer rights.

It also has helpful links to Revenue’s website (revenue.ie) which also provides essential information for Irish consumers provided by the government who intend to purchase goods online outside the EU single market”.

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