Airport VAT scam/Rip off prices exposed

[Herr Tubthumper]

I thought everyone knew this. Obviously the shops weren't paying VAT, and they were just making higher profits/paying higher rent. Try not to need things at the airport, and if you plan to buy something there, check it's cheaper than your alternatives.

I once asked in Boots why the needed my boarding card and was told it was for marketing reasons. So, not only did they trouser VAT I should not have been charged for they lied to me.

As someone else suggested, I hope some smart lawyer screws these companies over.

 

[Bry Nylon]

I once asked in Boots why the needed my boarding card and was told it was for marketing reasons.

I bet you look great in boots.

 

[Creaky]

Are we now saying that if buying drinks or tobacco in duty free to take with you, we can and should refuse to show a boarding card?

No - it is a legal requirement to prove that you are travelling outside the EU when buying alcohol or tobacco in order to purchase them free of duty.

 

[Jim in the West]

As someone who works for an airport, I am of course biased, but a few things to get straight:

- This issue is only of relevance if you're travelling to a non-EU destination
- In certain stores (eg: Duty & Tax Free outlets), HMRC demands that the retailer requests the boarding card (it's not the retailer who is asking for this just to perpetrate some alleged "scam")
- Information about where a passenger is flying to is very useful - hence some retailers DO ask for this primarily for marketing purposes
- Products like newspapers, books, take-away food, etc, don't attract VAT, so it makes no difference one way or the other
- if there IS anything underhand going on (and I don't believe there is), then it's not the airport - it's the retailer
- In relation to the price of water, and the 100ml rule quoted by someone on this thread, this is a rule imposed throughout the EU. It causes huge issues (and significant extra cost) at security (as many people still don't understand the rules, and the equipment airports have to use [to detect liquids] is expensive). I'm pretty sure virtually every airport would love to see the back of this rule - if safety wouldn't be compromised, of course.

Hope that helps....