With the summer holiday season upon us, tax advisors at accountant Grant Thornton have welcomed moves by MEPs to abolish guidelines on the levels of alcohol and tobacco people can bring back into the UK for personal use.
Under current guidelines, travellers are allowed to bring home either 3,200 cigarettes, 200 cigars, 400 cigarillos or 3kg tobacco and 110 litres of beer, ten litres of spirits, 90 litres of wine or 20 litres of fortified wines such as port or sherry from EU countries, providing that it is for personal use.
These figures are only advisory limits though and, as the EU is a single market, travellers should be able to bring back as much as they like.
James Hurst, senior indirect tax manager at Grant Thornton's Birmingham office, said: "The MEPs were asked to comment as part of the European Commission's consultation process, following complaints from holidaymakers who had their goods seized and even their cars impounded by the customs authorities.
"The Commission considers such seizures as disproportionate to the gravity of the offence and that they represent an obstacle to the free movement of goods.
"The new proposals call for a reversal of the burden of proof so that authorities, instead of travellers, will need to prove that purchases are intended for commercial, rather than personal use.
"Cross-border shopping is a fundamental EU right and should not be regarded as a form of tax evasion."
