Our Discretionary Reward from HMRC
On 24 July 2017, Ruth Stanier, Director of Customs & Indirect Tax, agreed HMRC would reward all three of us. In September 2017 two of us received £15,000 each. Richard Allen did not receive a reward. HMRC gave no explanation.
Hydra Sellers – The Terrifying Monsters of Online Marketplaces
The Hydra, in Greek mythology, is a terrifying mythical monster that has the body of a serpent with nine vicious heads. If one head is cut off, two new ones grow in its place. This make the Hydra almost impossible to kill. One of the Hydra's heads can never be harmed...
Make Online Marketplaces Collect VAT
HMRC must introduce measures that will make Online Platforms collect VAT. Tackling Online VAT Evasion has now become a top priority for governments and authorities across the globe. The general consensus is to make Online Marketplaces collect the VAT. The EU estimates...
FBI Says ISIS use eBay to send terror cash
Products listed at astronomically high prices on eBay appear to be real transactions when sold but are in fact methods to launder and secretly send cash. This simple, popular ruse has been used by Islamic State to funnel cash to operatives in the Middle East. U.S....
NON Compliant Goods and WEEE Regulations
A recent study was undertaken by the WEEE Scheme Forum, to check the compliance of products sold through a major online marketplace with the WEEE regulations. The study showed that 54% of power tools, 76% of LED lightbulbs, and 88% of fitness watches did not...
Introduce Third Party Liability for Fulfilment Houses
Overseas Sellers are flooding the UK with counterfeit or unsafe products that don’t comply with EU Safety, Packaging and WEEE standards. These goods can be manufactured at a fraction of the cost of compliant goods. Under current laws, if a UK consumer dies after...
Online Marketplaces – Unlawful Anti-Competitive Behaviour
Online Marketplaces are distorted in favour of unlawful anti-competitive behaviour by non-complaint sellers. This has resulted in compliant sellers unable to fairly compete on a level playing field and going out of business. Online Marketplaces are allowing unlawful...
State Aided Chinese Fulfilment Houses in UK
The Chinese government is currently investing heavily in Chinese owned companies to setup fulfilment infrastructure throughout Europe and the UK. Quote from Chinese Government Website: “We will support enterprises to build overseas storage of export goods and overseas...
What is a Chinese seller doing with 36 eBay Accounts & 25 VAT Numbers?
The latest Chinese eBay scam; a Chinese Seller operating 36 eBay accounts, has 25 VAT numbers and prices that are too good to be true.
Sellers who have been removed from eBay in last 18 months
We thought we’d share 356 eBay accounts that have been removed from eBay.co.uk in the last 18 months. Most have only had their UK selling privileges removed & no longer sell stock that is located in the UK.
A Complete Guide on How Amazon Phoenix Accounts Work
Non-EU Overseas Online Retailers can setup a new Amazon account under a completely separate company name. Once a new account has been setup, the seller can attach the account to all their old products listed on Amazon. Every seller account is given a unique identifier...
Seizing Stock, Freezing Funds & Block Listings
HMRC has not seized a single item of stock, frozen any funds or blocked any listing from VAT evading overseas retailers using Amazon UK warehouses. These are the only assets in reach of HMRC. VAT Evading Overseas Retailers are simply shutting up shop and start trading...
Make All VAT Registered Non-Eu Overseas Online Retailers Appoint Fiscal Representatives
Non-EU Overseas Online Retailers who hold stock in the UK are totally out of reach from prosecution by HMRC under the current laws. They are safe in the knowledge they can simply disappear without paying any undeclared VAT and reappear under a new company without any...
Strengthen Online Marketplace Seller Checks
HMRC's Online Marketplace Seller Checks do not go far enough and have huge loopholes being exploited by Overseas & UK Sellers. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/vat-online-marketplace-seller-checks At present Online Marketplaces such as eBay, only checks an Overseas...
Stop Duplicate Accounts & Listings on eBay
Here is a list of eBay sellers who operate multiply accounts, even though Joe Billante, eBay Vice President, told the Public Accounts Committee that sellers can’t operate multiple accounts!!
Philip Hammond Autumn Budget 2017
Our campaign has now pressured the UK Government to introduce stricter legislation to prevent VAT Fraud on the internet. Introduced in the Finance Bill in November 2017 the legislation makes online retailers such as eBay and Amazon liable for VAT fraud that they know...
Amazon Sellers & VAT Numbers
A list of thousands of overseas Amazon sellers who where trading with no VAT, or recently registered for VAT or simply shut up shop and opened up under a new identity.
Brexit, Overseas Online Retailers & VAT- a disaster waiting to happen
With Brexit looming large the government needs to urgently put a plan into place and examine the effects that Brexit will have on Online Marketplaces, Overseas Retailers, Global Fulfilment, Distant Selling, Subsidised Chinese post, LVCR Abuse, VAT & the Split...
Copy of HMRC Notice to VAT Evading sellers taken from Amazon forum
Here is a copy of HMRC Notice to VAT evading sellers taken from Amazon forum : Dear Sir/Madam, New measures were introduced by HMRC for some businesses established overseas that are required to be registered for VAT in the UK. With these new measures, we may: · direct...
Amazon Notice to VAT Evading Sellers
HMRC & Amazon issue “GET OUT JAIL FREE CARDS” to VAT Evading Overseas Online Retailers. The card allow them to: Evade all unpaid VAT. Continue trading for 30 days. Keep their stock. Withdraw all their funds. Keep their highly ranked listings. Relist their old...
Stop subsidising Chinese Retailers post via United Nations Universal Postal Union (UPU) terminal dues.
Chinese Retailer are being offered hugely subsidised postal services known as “Terminal Dues” by the United Nation’s Universal Postal Union (UPU) allowing them to sell goods including postage from China to the UK for less than the stamp would cost a UK retailer to...
HMRC handed out 7,185 VAT numbers to Overseas Online retailers!!
HMRC have just released a press statement "HMRC tackles online VAT fraud in time for Christmas. They have handed out 7,185 VAT numbers to Overseas Online retailers in the last year, that’s a tenfold increase in last year’s figures of 695 due to their crackdown of...
Professor Rita de La Feria highlights online VAT fraud, its impacts and potential solutions
The EU Taxation & Customs held a global conference on 'TAXATION, INVESTMENT AND INNOVATION: A TRIPTYCH FOR BALANCED GROWTH' last month Professor Rita de La Feria keynote speech highlighted our campaign, online VAT fraud, its impacts and potential solutions. If you...
Amazon launches new VAT Compliance Tools for VAT Evading Sellers
Amazon UK have now taken measures to help VAT evading sellers understand what VAT compliance is and whether they need to register for VAT. They have teamed up with KPMG who have provided an online "VAT registration litmus test". We tested the tool and there seems to...