"no Fedex Please"

[Hamish]

VAT is 17.5% (not 17%) at least here in the UK!

Trefor, I suggest that is nothing more than a typo!

From what I read of complaints though it is not simply a matter of the import duties themselves but the speed at which the carrier processes this and also the fees they charge for doing so. This is a separate issue to the legality realities.

And I think that James misses the point regarding where to buy. If I want a Newsome or a Tewkesbury because of the delighted responses and reviews I have read on X Marks (or seen being worn somewhere like Ferintosh!) I cannot follow that formula. Conversely the same applies when someone across "the pond" wishes to have a sample of Scottish craftmanship and/or wishes to avail themselves of the X Marks discount offered by Scotweb for example, then it isn't so easy. Many of us like to source kilts from different countries besides our own for varying reasons - how else would I have got my Maple Leaf for instance?

I agree wholeheartedly with you here, with just one exception - my fine Maple Leaf 16oz 8 yarder was beautifully crafted for me by Geoffrey (Tailor) in Edinburgh. There was no need for me to go to Canada for it.

Take care,
Ham.

[McClef]

Trefor, I suggest that is nothing more than a typo!



I agree wholeheartedly with you here, with just one exception - my fine Maple Leaf 16oz 8 yarder was beautifully crafted for me by Geoffrey (Tailor) in Edinburgh. There was no need for me to go to Canada for it.

Take care,
Ham.

Well I know it was a typo Hamish or Nick would have been doing some serious miscalculations for the Vatman! But I thought it would help reinforce what Nick was saying even more in that VAT is not charged on goods supplied outside of the EC when it comes to the purposes of comparison.

I know you can get the Maple Leaf in Scotland too if course! But for me it meant more to have it made in Canada because it was a Canadian tartan just as I prefer to have my Scottish tartans made in Scotland. If Robin is able to source some of the the Dutch friendship that we both drool about I would not have it made in the Netherlands because he cannot recommend a good Dutch kiltmaker and would then feel free to make a choice of where to have it made up.

[Woodsheal]

My question is this: has anyone experienced any problems (no-shows, theft, mangling,etc.) with a kilt or other items sent free (but untracked and uninsured) via Royal Mail from KiltStore?

I realize it's a lot slower, but to avoid all of the FedEx hassle and customs fees, the extra time would be worth it....

[gilmore]

There are some politicians here in the US who want to do away with property tax and other forms of taxation and fund the national budget mostly with a national sales tax. (17.5% is lower that the usual estimates of how much it would have to be, but it seems that no one really knows.)They are generally thought to be kooks, but some are taken seriously on other grounds. Given the UK's experience with VAT, I would be interested in hearing what you on the eastern side of the Atlantic think. Would abolishing VAT be popular there? What kinds of taxation could replace it?

One of the arguments against a national sales tax is that it is unreliable, and the amount it brings in would vary quite a bit from year to year. Is this the case with VAT?

[Hamish]

Well I know it was a typo Hamish or Nick would have been doing some serious miscalculations for the Vatman! But I thought it would help reinforce what Nick was saying even more in that VAT is not charged on goods supplied outside of the EC when it comes to the purposes of comparison.

I know you can get the Maple Leaf in Scotland too if course! But for me it meant more to have it made in Canada because it was a Canadian tartan just as I prefer to have my Scottish tartans made in Scotland.

I take both your points, Trefor.........

If Robin is able to source some of the the Dutch friendship that we both drool about I would not have it made in the Netherlands because he cannot recommend a good Dutch kiltmaker and would then feel free to make a choice of where to have it made up.

......... and I am with you on that! I have already made up my mind who I will ask to make mine up - assuming our good friend can lay his hands on the tartan for us - and, Trefor, it is unlikely to be the kiltmaker you might expect me to use. More than that I am not saying!!

Take care,
Ham.

[turpin]

The flaw in your plan is that the vast majority of quality tartans are woven in Scotland. And if I recall correctly, US customs (I don't know specifically about Canada, writing from home) charge a much higher still tariff on 'raw' woven fabric even than they do on goods like kilts. So since the fabric typically constitutes the largest part of the cost of a kilt, you could easily end up paying even more buying a domestically made kilt (all other things like labour costs being equal)!

You could of course restrict yourself to the tartans woven by a domestic producer, but your choice will be far smaller, and our experience is that most kilt buyers want a tartan which which they've a personal connection.

There aren't many kiltmakers around like us who will weave you a short length for a single kilt in any tartan. And even if you can find one locally, the higher costs of hand-woven custom lengths are likely to cancel out any import duty savings.

Even so, Kiltmakers get a significant reduction in cost/meter; about 50% or less over what I can buy it for retail from Kiltstore not including duty. Yes, perhaps the duty is factored into the per-meter pirc, but it's still a huge price break. That being said, duty on a finished kilt is 12.5%, and on raw tartan it's 25%.

[McClef]

Given the UK's experience with VAT, I would be interested in hearing what you on the eastern side of the Atlantic think. Would abolishing VAT be popular there? What kinds of taxation could replace it?

One of the arguments against a national sales tax is that it is unreliable, and the amount it brings in would vary quite a bit from year to year. Is this the case with VAT?

I used to have to do VAT returns every quarter (this is the normal frequency) when I was the National Treasurer of the Motorcycle Action Group. Businesses that have a turnover above a certain figure have to register for it which has advantages and disadvantages. VAT is charged on all the various parts of a process or service and the VAT paid can then be reclaimed by the trader with the full amount being paid by the end user. It can be a lot of paperwork, especially as there are three official rates here here in the UK depending upon the item.

Some items are zero rated, domestic energy is 8% and the main rate is 17.5% so depending upon the mix it is actually possible for a trader to end up getting a VAT refund as opposed to having to pay money to the revenue if there are considerable zero rated transactions. It is up to each EC country to set their own rates within certain guidelines. Even some non-EC countries such as Norway use a similar system known as MOMS.

VAT replaced previous systems such as Purchase Tax and its abolition would only be popular if whatever replaced it was more advantageous to the end user rather than a Government but as we all know this is rarely the case!

I take both your points, Trefor.........




......... and I am with you on that! I have already made up my mind who I will ask to make mine up - assuming our good friend can lay his hands on the tartan for us - and, Trefor, it is unlikely to be the kiltmaker you might expect me to use. More than that I am not saying!!

Take care,
Ham.

Oh dear Hamish! Howie will be disappointed!