Value Added Tax Consolidation Act 2010 section 53

Imports - general provisions

Section 53 sets out the general rules for valuing imported goods for VAT purposes and provides that customs legislation applies to import VAT as though it were a customs duty.

• The taxable amount for import VAT is the customs value of the goods, increased by any duties, taxes, transport costs (including onward carriage within the EU where known at importation), and other charges apart from VAT itself.
• Where imported goods are subsequently supplied or transferred to a VAT-registered person in another Member State, zero-rating of the importation is available only if the importer declares both parties' VAT identification numbers and can evidence onward dispatch.
• The rates of VAT on imports mirror those that apply to domestic supplies of equivalent goods, so that zero-rated, reduced-rate and standard-rate goods are taxed at the same percentages at the point of importation.
• Subject to the valuation rules and to the provisions on postponed accounting and remission or repayment, the Customs Acts apply to import VAT as if it were a duty of customs, with any modifications that may be prescribed in regulations.