Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1497813
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 23 APRIL 2023 NEWS Photo by: Jason Borg Photography On this evening you can enjoy the spectacular Grand Finale FIREWORK display of the Malta International Fireworks Festival. 30 th April | 7:30pm till 11:30pm Tickets can be purchased on showshappening. PAUL COCKS MALTAPOST is charging a €5 pro- cessing for packages that either in- clude medicinal products or when the packages delivered require further scrutiny by the Customs Department, MaltaToday has learned. A number of MaltaToday readers complained about being charged a €5 processing fee for some packages or- dered from abroad and collected from MaltaPost. Others pointed out that they were charged VAT even though the online seller they ordered from had added VAT to their original pur- chase. One reader said that when he went to collect a €6 package from MaltaPost he was told he had to pay VAT again, as well as a €5 processing fee. When he complained, he was told that this was a fee rqequested by Customs. But, when contacted, the Customs Department categorically denied charging any fees for people to retrieve parcels ordered. "Customs does not charge any pro- cessing fees," a spokesperson for the Customs Department told this news- paper. "Processing is done by agent/ courier and such fees are imposed by agent/courier (in this case Maltapost) at their discretion." A spokesperson for MaltaPost said that the processing fee was only ap- plied in a couple of instances. This fee may apply if the item purchased from outside the EU is excisable or if it re- quires further clearance from any gov- ernment border agencies other than the Customs Department. A case in point are medicines im- ported from countries outside the EU (such as the UK) and which require the clearance of the local Port Health Office to be allowed to be imported in- to Malta. In most cases of items not includ- ing medicines, when the item arrives in Malta, MaltaPost performs all the required customs clearance processes and delivers the package to the cli- ent without any processing fees being charged. A processing fee may however be ap- plied if the value of the item purchased upon declaration is not accepted by Malta Customs and the client is re- quested by Malta Customs to provide supporting documentation including the proof of payment. "In such cases MaltaPost provides additional services at a reasonable cost to have the item/s cleared," the spokesperson said. Paying VAT twice When Maltese consumers purchase a product from a non-EU country, they effectively become an importer and are consequently liable to pay Customs and Excise Duty as well as Value Add- ed Tax (VAT) on the same items they purchased. VAT applies to all digital and phys- ical goods or services sold in the EU. "The VAT rate applicable in all cases is the one applicable in the country where the item is being delivered ie in our case, Maltese VAT rates apply," MaltaPost said. "It is important to also note that VAT is not paid solely on the purchase pric- es but is calculated on the actual price MaltaPost explains €5 processing fee on packages requiring further scrutiny