Toll in Sweden are taxes on foreign stuff imported. I have no big beef with paying taxes. Taxes are how we keep our society going. Sure the elected officials could be more efficient in smarter way’s but that is not really the issue here, most of the money go to the places where they should be. So when I buy something from America or any other non EU country the Swedish Toll office takes the value of that thing and adds tax. Usually 25% of what the thing costs. That’s all fine and dandy, but then the post office adds a seemingly random amount that they label “speditional fees”.
Let’s take my last international purchase for example, it was 75 USD (freight included)
75 USD is 543.05 SEK
Value was declared on the package and I got a letter home telling me I had to pay to pick my package up. Strange thing that I have to go somewhere to pick something up that the freight is already payed for. The amount I have to pay is 201 SEK. About 37% of the value. tax in sweden is usually at 25%. So when I was eager to see why the amount differd so much.
The value declared on the parcel was 75 USD, I don’t really think you have to pay toll for the freight, but the toll-officials don’t know that that was included, right!
At the specification 138 SEK is toll and taxes. witch is 25% no problem there. Then the postal office takes 63 SEK because toll was payed, in the spedition-fee. That’s the extra 13% add on the price. So I guess what really happens here is that I get to pay them for making me pay the Toll. I shouldn’t have to pay for the parcel being sent around. That was already payed for. I’ve searched for information on what I really pay for on the web, and asked postal workers. I still have no idea where those extra money really goes.
Yeah, I still get really pissed when that happens to me.
http://www.tullverket.se/sokordao/i/internethandelfranettlandutanforeu.4.4ab1598c11632f3ba9280005754.html
But Posten don’t provide any furter informaton, they only link to tullverket. Boo Posten.
yeah Kajsa, that tells me nothing about the mysterious speditionsavgift either!
Il suxo.
Dispatch fees aside, I vaguely remember something about the benefits of import tariffs on some essential goods from school… But it just might be time to move on from a model with taxes that do little more than sustain a layer of middle men and general agents that are really not needed anymore.
Sure, some companies need a lot of help with shipping, storage and distribution (think refrigerators), but not the little guys that make one small electronic gadget. In those cases the closed-border system is just in the way, feeding business men that should be doing something else.
Instead; update the shipping system. Remove the middle-aged white men that are holding on to and justifying the old system.
End rant.
What! You are importing things!!!?! why aren’t you only buying quality Swedish goods.. damn internationalist!!
yeah… yes!