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Posted by DAVID ALCOCK on August 25, 2025, 6:56:25, in reply to "Re: The De Minimis saga. Why now so complicated when………………………."
it pears trump wants his sancions paid before enteRing US ON SMALL THINGS, TOO EXPENSIVE TO COLLECT
Previous Message
I don’t follow you. Unless packages are actually opened and inspected, how does this change anything? Are ALL small packages now going to be inspected? Some? Or are they just adding a tax where they didn’t before this? Previous Message
My only thought on this otherwise excellent suggestion would be that a large part of what triggered the entire thing in the first place was a focus on the amount of crime that was occurring and the amount of "abuse" of the system by circumventing normal customs and flooding the US with illegal goods. A system where customers self-declared would only find criminals happily lying about their packages (in collusion with the senders) and not at all worried about the consequences (especially the senders in foreign countries.) Large crime networks currently exploiting the system would not even blink at falsification of things. Making sellers pay up front, then checking on that eliminates both sender and receiver lying, and narrows it down to just the sender who needs to be focused on. (And if they are found to be behaving criminally, the receiver they were sending to is also discovered. "Two for the price of one.")
If a similar system was enacted here, receivers would not be getting messages asking them to declare anything. Customs would have to have inspected it, and the notice would be that your package had come, and you needed to pay a certain amount to get it. Next, you have the abandoned package problem that generates. The volumes that customs needs to process are in the millions daily. Customs inspectors would have to process each one, then generate a notice. No automatically calculated amounts based upon receiver replies. I think the trouble with your idea is then the volumes, and not being able to rely on receiver accuracy/honesty to use to figure amounts due.
My thoughts. Previous Message
…………………..there is a straightforward solution?
I realize there are other threads on this, but this is not about the whys of this new imposition, or venting at the ridiculousness of the current situation, but more about (what could have been) a ‘solution’, or how others do it.
For example, this is how it's done, more or less, here in Finland from goods arriving from outside the EU. The goods arrive (and often even before the goods arrive) an electronic message is sent from customs (to your email or phone). You respond online. If a gift less than 45 Euros, no VAT. If more than, or if 'commercial goods', then you declare the value of goods, etc, on an online form, press ‘submit form’, and VAT is automatically calculated. You may, or may not, be asked if you have a receipt for the value you claim goods are worth, or proof of payment (bank statement). You then may or may not be asked to submit that receipt / statement online as proof of amount you are declaring is value of goods. You then pay the VAT online. Goods are ‘released’ and forwarded on to you. End of story.
The above online ‘work’ takes, from start to finish, all of about three to five minutes, depending on how fast you can type. And the onus while shared somewhat, is primarily where it should be, on the country collecting the VAT / duty!!!!
No doubt folks will find holes to pick in this method, but……………………….it works hassle free (as long as you do have a receipt for purchase in case it is required). Of course you say that could be faked but that requires the sellers cooperation and hefty fines should you be caught trying to scam the system.
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