Buying boat in US for import to EU

I am currently looking to buy a boat, having just sold our 30ft wooden
ketch. Am looking at something in the 40ft bracket. Visiting all the boats
for sale websites, and most of the best boats I have seen are located in
the US. I have been in touch with the tax authority here in Ireland, and if
I was to import a boat from US to Ireland I would have to pay 21% VAT on top
of the price paid for the boat. Does anybody know of a way around this? What
if I was to live aboard for a year - would this make any difference?
Thanks,
Declan.

On Tuesday 21 September 2004 10:11 pm in rec.boats.cruising Declan wrote:

> I am currently looking to buy a boat, having just sold our 30ft wooden
> ketch. Am looking at something in the 40ft bracket. Visiting all the boats
> for sale websites, and most of the best boats I have seen are located in
> the US. I have been in touch with the tax authority here in Ireland, and
> if I was to import a boat from US to Ireland I would have to pay 21% VAT
> on top of the price paid for the boat. Does anybody know of a way around
> this? What if I was to live aboard for a year - would this make any
> difference? Thanks,

VAT is payable when the boat enters the EU. Different countries
within the EU have different VAT rates, so if you import the
boat into the UK or NI you would pay 17.5%.
Once VAT has been paid you can use the boat anywhere in the EU
so just keep the VAT receipt as evidence of payment.

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