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Help with sales tax charged on a purchase from Germany?

GrahamGraham
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This is completely unrelated to LEGO, so please excuse me.

I purchased some CD's from a record company in Germany and they charged me 19% VAT! (I'm in USA)

I asked why they charged me VAT and they told me they had to charge VAT unless I have an international VAT number - which doesn't exist to my knowledge?

Would someone who is German speaking, kindly be able to direct me to the information they would need to explain export outside the EU?

Much appreciated if possible - I have no idea where else to go!!

Thanks much!

Comments

  • 3 Comments sorted by Votes Date Added
  • shop-bricksshop-bricks
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    Hi Graham, finally a chance to thank you for all your helpful forum posts! Sorry you have this trouble. I am afraid this German company does not know how to handle VAT properly. Here a quote from the official EU-website: "If you sell goods to customers outside the EU, you do not charge VAT."
    You might check the site yourself: https://europa.eu/youreurope/business/taxation/vat/cross-border-vat/index_en.htm#outsidetheeusellgoods-1
    Just change the language settings to German and show it to them, too. All the best!
  • GrahamGraham
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    @shop-bricks
    Thank you very much!
  • Bricks-ShopBricks-Shop
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    Hello Graham,
    it's absolutely correct what shop-bricks has mentioned. If you sell something outside the EU we do not have to charge VAT and we're not allowed to show VAT on the invoice. Also we do not have to pay the VAT to the Financial Government for the Outside EU business.
    This company is not really trustful if they do not really know what they do.

    I think they mix up a little bit the Inside EU sales. We have to charge the VAT and show it on the Invoice always for private persons. If we make anyhow a sales to a company and they provide us with their VAT number we can - but it's not mandatory - send the invoice without the VAT. Than the Buying Company has to pay the VAT in their country.

    Regards,
    Oliver from Bricks-Shop, Germany
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