Duty free 'tax free' threshold raised to USD 500 with many but...

There are 4 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 2,308 times. The latest Post () was by serafina.

1st Official Post
    • Official Post

    http://www.lanacion.com.ar/209…e-pueden-ingresar-al-pais


    It was announced today that starting from tomorrow morning, Argentinians and residents of Argentina will benefit of raise in the tax free threshold... but there are many buts...

    • it is valid only for goods bought in Tax Free shops, not to your purchases abroad in general
    • it applies only for Tax Free Shops at your arrival point (i.e. shops in Argentina)

    To me, they are making fun of us.


    So the people with 55" screens at the arrival zone are simply going to the Tax Free shop to buy their TV set or did they buy it abroad and have it shipped on the plane with them?:scratchead:

    • Official Post

    Coming from Europe, seeing prices at EZE Tax free shops looked like a ripoff, especially considering that you have to pay taxes on it anyway upon exiting the airport.

    It would also catch attention, I believe. Last time I came back I was at AEP, thinking that it would be more lax. Boy, I was wrong.

    There was a guy pushing the famous 'AFIP button' on behalf of the passengers, and the guy in front of me had many cardboard boxes of audio equipment (there were drawings outside), and obviously his button turned red. So he had to have his luggage thoroughly inspected by an AFIP man.


    I must confess I was sort of relieved in seeing this man getting the red button, as it was the lowest chance of getting a red myself. I got green and I had luggage scanned by machine (instead of being manually inspected like my unlucky 'friend'). I had two cases and my red passport in hand. The lady asked me in Spanish where I was traveling from and I shouted in my thickest Italian accent "ITALIA", and she waved me away. But I did shit in my pants, to be honest. I had no valuable new electronics that needed to be declared (I had declared my electronics of them upon exiting, and all but the iPad were judged 'too old to be of interest to them') but I did shop for clothes, cat stuff, kitchenware, etc.


    I hate it and it feels like a regime. I think it should be unconstitutional to tell people how they can spend their money when abroad: food and accommodations are unavoidable and stay abroad, but anything else, you bring it with you in Argentina = you must pay.

    How well we all understand your schadenfreude when the unlucky guy in front of you was pulled aside, followed by panic over the household items you had with you. I really don't understand why Argentina can't bring itself to simply state an allowance and give its citizens the freedom to make their own choices. Does the answer lie solely in the profits of EZE's duty-free shops, or is there something bigger at play here?

    • Official Post

    We have been discussing this at home, and if they only applied reasonable import fees, people would buy locally instead of wasting precious space in their suitcases to buy abroad items which are also available here, only because of the price difference.


    While, of course, catching a big fish once in a while and collecting a 50% tax looks appealing, a steady cash flow of 10% tax on everything (and not the random unlucky guy) would definitely bring more money to the government.