to refuse to present boarding pass at airport shops

[ProjectPerfect]

I had always assumed that as passengers we were legally obliged to hand over our boarding passes when shopping in UK airports.

However we're not and the stores are using it as a way of claiming VAT back from HMCR without passing those savings on to consumers.

Don't know why I'm shocked but I am

www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/11794109/The-real-reason-airport-shops-want-to-see-your-boarding-pass.html

aprilanne That happened to me but I can't remember which airport I was at. I think it was a Spanish airport and I was going to the UK. So now I just buy in tobacconists in the town and put them in my suitcase.

OT. I've never smoked - but I always take a shopping list for other people. I'm boggled by the fact that in Spain and Italy they have dedicated tobacconists selling nothing but tobacco products and paraphernalia. I buy so much that they throw in fancy lighters. I throw them - grudgingly even the nice ones - because it's not really a good idea to take lighter fuel on an aircraft, is it?

There's always a queue so I stand staring at all the different packaging lined up on shelves. It's really seductive and I have no desire to smoke. I can see the reason for having it all hidden behind grey shutters in Britain.

The shops always smell too. Not of smoke, but the smell of unburnt tobacco is really strong.

Yep, this story pissed me off too.

According to Birmingham Airport's policy document

^Duty free / departure lounge purchases

You may take on board liquid items of any size that are purchased after the security check in the departure lounge.
Most duty free or similar purchases will be given to you in a special sealed bag, often called a tamper evident bag. Do not open this bag until you have reached your final destination. You should also retain your proof of purchase throughout your journey as you will be required to show it at all transfer points.
**Please note restrictions apply to duty free purchases made on return journeys where passengers change flights at an EU airport.

These are the requirements set down by the Department for Transport. Airlines and Airports may have additional measures in place. Passengers are strongly advised to check the website of their carrier or airport before travelling.^

Nothing about needing a boarding card to buy stuff.
I think shop staff either don't really understand why they are asking for boarding cards, or just make up shit to get the customer to comply.

www.birmingham-airport-guide.co.uk/security.html

I was at LGW two weeks ago buying shampoo in Boots. I didn't have my boarding pass. I got served, but was asked where I was going and whether it was a direct flight, so I assumed it was to do with carrying liquids through customs. Maybe not?

Ooh, thanks Tick. It seems LGW Boots acted correctly then.

And it's always warm. DH worked in a very posh shop which had a cigar salesroom that was basically a giant humidifier on the top floor.

He said that when he occasionally worked in there he would find it hard to stay awake.

One afternoon a customer came running down stairs saying that the salesman had had a heart attack and was slumped on the table.

It turned out to be a combination of the warmth and the fact that he'd been making the shop's special blend - tobacco with whisky - and had been sampling just to make sure the whisky hadn't gone off

OT. I've never smoked - but I always take a shopping list for other people.

Boring to say, but illegal. HMRC have been known to get shirty if you have a mixture of products ...

I'm boggled by the fact that in Spain and Italy they have dedicated tobacconists selling nothing but tobacco products and paraphernalia

The problem (?) is, they are the only places. It's one of the few areas where the UK seems ludicrously laid back, compared to some of Europe.

Boring to say, but illegal. HMRC have been known to get shirty if you have a mixture of products ...

Thanks. I was aware of that. I'm not being shirty with you there. I realised you were trying to help .

DH and I split it. I'll carry the girly ones - Dunhill International and Marlboro Lights and sometimes something mentholly. The Marlboros are for a man but I think they're generally smoked by women. The menthol ones make me laugh. When I hand them over to my friend I always wonder whether she thinks it's some kind of quasi health product like

DH carries the 'manly' stuff - cigars, cigarillos and rolling tobacco. Again, the rolling tobacco is smoked by a woman. I call her the girl with the Golden Virginia voice.

We think that looks reasonable, though our cover story has never been tested.

Despite neither of us ever having smoked, we do this for our friends. I'm confident they would cover the difference, and possibly spring for bail.

I realise this is smuggling. Low level but I will take any punishment anyone wants to dish out for my antisocial behaviour

I used to work for a retailer that has shops in airports as well as country wide. Products were not eligible for duty free but almost all were VAT-able. Our airport contracts obliged us to offer them to all customers regardless of destination at the equivalent of our normal price less VAT, but HMRC still expected us to pay VAT for those purchased by customers travelling within the EU. No way could we have afforded to offer the discount to everyone without being able to differentiate between customer destinations - knowing government policies had we not asked for boarding passes, we'd have had to assume all customers were travelling in the EU and pay far more VAT than necessary.

I don't know if the pricing requirements are still the same and, if they are, which retailers are required to meet them. I only buy things at the airport if I need to for convenience, or have researched prices in advance to know I'm getting a saving. Boarding passes are usually in my handbag for easy access anyway.

The retailers as far as I can see are not breaking the law.

If you take issue with this, lobby the government, not some poor sod making minimum wage just doing what their boss/company tell them to do.

I bought water without my b. card a few weeks ago - assistant didn't mind and typed in a code..

limited

I always refuse to hand over my boarding pass. Although I thought the reason they asked me was marketing, not a tax scam.

I will continue to refuse!

This is disgraceful!! Shame on Boots & WH Smith. Start offering the duty free prices you money grabbing bastards.

I was going to refuse to hand my boarding pass over till I read these comments on the article-

My wife refused to show her boarding pass at WH Smith in Heathrow yesterday. The cashier pushed a button which required supervisor assistance, after which she was charged a higher "VAT included" price!!

I recently refused to show my boarding pass at an airport shop checkout, after a debate of about 60 seconds with cashier a member of the airport's security team told me I had a legal obligation to show my boarding pass to prove I had not entered the airport illegally (how often does that happen I wonder!!). Following a further refusal by me I was told the airport police would be called and I ran the risk of being prosecuted under anti-terrorism laws and removed from the airport premises as threat to the airport's safety.

Christ!

I can confirm Bub that neither of those has ever happened to me! And I fly several times a month.

A few times when I've refused they have just asked my flight or where I'm travelling to. Which I didn't mind, I just don't want them having my name etc. But I'll refuse that now too.

I read about this the other day. I see why people are cross, because it's not a transparent procedure, is it? The airport shops apparently say it's justified because their rents are so expensive...

Like AyeAmarok, though, I stopped producing my boarding pass in airport shops a while ago - because I read a couple of years back that they ask to see it for marketing reasons, not as a legal requirement. Since then I must have used Smith's/London News Co. and Boots airside at Gatwick half a dozen times. I just say I haven't got the pass with me, and I've not yet been refused service (although I know they could do that).

It’s actually the opposite of what they are trying to claim. Before the free movement of goods in the EU, all goods purchased at the airport were duty free. Since the EU rules, people travelling to non-EU destinations are still eligible for duty free goods, but people travelling within the EU are not.

However, rather than try and have separate shops / prices etc for the 2 different types of customer, there was an agreement made that everyone would get a price that was 'reduced'. The retailers then have to pass on the VAT paid to HMRC for EU travelling customers, but there is no duty to be passed over on the non-EU customers’ purchases. The cost nets off for the retailer....assume the price ex VAT is £1, inc VAT is £1.20 and the retailer sells 1 item to an EU customer and one to a non-EU customer. The retailer gets a total income of £2.20 and passes £0.20 onto HMRC. If, instead the retailer charges everyone £1.10 then the 2 sales still net the same, but there aren't 2 different prices to contend with (but they still have to pass on the VAT on the EU sale at the non 'reduced' price)

In order for them to know which purchases should have duty and which shouldn't they take note of your boarding pass. If you refuse to hand over your boarding pass, they will have to assume that you are an EU travelling customer and pay over the VAT, which, if you were a non-EU travelling customer they would not have had to....thereby potentially costing them money - hence many times they will not serve you if you don't have your boarding pass.

(The reason they would have no issues with water selling water with no boarding pass, is that there is no VAT on water anyway - so no VAT to pay over, and no potential cost).

The set up is no different to a business selling goods to you in person (where they charge VAT) and shipping goods to a US customer, where they would not. They are not making money from the VAT side, it is simply to comply with HMRC / EU VAT regulations.

They are probably making money from the significantly inflated prices that they charge everyone, but that is not a VAT matter.

Sorry for the long post - VAT always gets longwinded!!

Blimey, Bub!

Thanks for explaining that bakingdiva!

Great explanation Baking, thanks.

Wow, Baking, I love it when some one who really sounds like they know what they're talking about shows up!! Thanks for the explanation!

I don't really see why people get so indignant about this. If they had to pay the extra VAT prices would just go up generally, and it's no great hardship to show the boarding pass.

I'm sure Boots at the airports used to sell goods without VAT added - so you could buy your normal makeup etc but a bit cheaper (and the prices were all odd numbers eg £2.57). The last couple of times I have flown the prices were the same as the high street or a bit higher, and I wondered why that was....

I'm sceptical about bakingdiva's explanation tbh - this might make checking boarding passes worthwhile at some airports (Heathrow, perhaps gatwick, Manchester) but at most airports the majority of scheduled flights are to European destinations. So the default assumption has to be that most passengers are not entitled to the vat reduction, and the shops could easily work on the presumption that the very few people who refuse to show their boarding passes (or don't have them to hand) are travelling to the EU. It would make little or no difference to their bottom line.

It would be interesting to test what would happen if you took a large basket of cosmetics and toiletries to the boots till, and after the assistant had finished scanning them "discovered" that you didn't have your boarding pass to hand .

limited blimey you've got our share of smoker friends. We only know two people who smoke. And one of those pretends she doesn't.