A Welsh cycling club says it may be forced to close for good after being stung by a surprise £7,330 tariff by Spanish border officials when they collected their bikes ahead of a charity ride.
The group — from Tap It Out cycling club running out of a pub in Pyle, Bridgend — flew to Santander, in Cantabria on Spain’s north coast while their bikes arrived by ferry ahead of the 600-mile ride raising money for Prostate Cymru, a charity close to the club’s heart as some of its members have been affected by prostate cancer.
However, when they went to collect their bikes the group was told to pay an €8,500 (£7,330) tariff, something they appealed — on the grounds of it being a charity event — but were unsuccessful.
Faced with the dilemma of cancelling the ride or paying the fee, the team paid the fee out of the club’s accounts but now faces having to “fold the club — shut it down.”
Head of the group Nicky Morgan told the BBC organising the trip had been “really stressful” without the added inconvenience and had been rescheduled twice due to Covid.
“We were doing a charity event. It never entered our minds that we were going to sell bikes or be accused of selling bikes. My jaw just dropped,” he said.
Another of the riders, Rhys Lloyd, said he was representing his dad who usually rides with the club but is too ill to participate in this one.
Mr Lloyd feels like the group has been “held for ransom” and paying the tariff will “bleed a big hole into the club”. Another rider, who lost his mum and colleagues to cancer, said he just wanted to “raise funds and awareness”.
Welsh politician Huw Irranca-Davies and MP Chris Elmore wrote a joint letter to the Spanish customs authority, arguing the fee: “Negated the very purpose of the charity bike ride — to raise funds for Prostate Cymru which is a cause dear to so many people — but also has left a very sour feeling in relations.”
The pair asked for a “full and immediate response explaining why these charges have been made”, and speaking to BBC Wales Mr Irranca-Davies explained he had a long-running support of Prostate Cancer and there was “no good reason” for the fee.
He suggested it could be a result of post-Brexit import fees being wrongly applied to the riders.
59 thoughts on “Cycling club arrives in Spain for charity ride… hit with £7,000 bike customs charge”
That reeally sucks! I assume
That really sucks! I assume they got hit with the fee because the bikes were being shipped ahead, rather than travelling with the riders themselves, so it’s seen as an import instead of a personal belonging.
Correct. They would have
Correct. They would have needed an ATA Carnet to prove the goods were a temporary import. It’s not cheap, £300+VAT, but vital if you are ever taking equipment to another country on a temporary basis. Wasn’t needed going to the EU when the UK was a member which is why it probably didn’t occur to them.
It is indeed very sad. But
It is indeed very sad. But they should have probably looked at the distinction between freight and personal baggage beforehand.
All this could have been
All this could have been averted simply by filling in an ATA carnet for temporary import as explained on the UK government website: https://www.gov.uk/taking-goods-out-uk-temporarily/get-an-ata-carnet
As the bikes were unaccompanied (presumably all in a van) they would have not been exempted from duty as a personal import and therefore import duty would be levied on the residual value of all non-EU/UK bikes (any bikes actually made in the UK or EU would have been duty free due to the customs union between the two). This means that all the Far Eastern manufactured bikes (which I imagine would be the majority of them) would have duty charged on them at their current used market rate.
British Cycling also has this
British Cycling also has this in the FAQ: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/about/article/20210218-about-bc-news-Brexit-FAQs-0
“All this could have been
“All this could have been averted simply by filling in an ATA carnet <snip rest of ill-judged, misleading nonsense>”
ATA Carnet cost for non-LCCI member: £310+VAT
Plus a security has to be provided to cover the potential duties if you don’t re-import it: £2000! (for a £5k bike, if you’re honest)
Plus, in addition
Security Fee £50.00
Additional Security Fee £6.00
Issuing Fee £58.75
Sub Total £114.75
Final VAT £22.95
Hardly simple or cheap, is it?
I’m sure you’ll agree this is
I’m sure you’ll agree this is a small price to pay for blue passports.
NickStrugnell wrote:
We’ve been over this before – that’s not why people voted for it. We’ve now got control to set up protected marine sanctuaries or something
Exactly. This is what so
Exactly. This is what so many remoaners don’t get. We are now free to give workers more rights, pay people better, have more effective health and safety legislation, cleaner beaches and waters, be more compassionate towards refugees, protect our natural capital, boost our green economy, provide higher animal welfare standards…
…all while reducing pettifogging regulation and the depredations of unelected, wasteful bureaucracy (is this right?).
In general I’m in favour of keeping the corruption closer to home and keeping a wary eye on officials. I’m just not a fan of how the UK has been doing this for time. Examples: chucking some cash at councils and saying “you sort it out” on national issues – standard cycling infra anyone? Handing important services to their “partners” in big businesses and wiping their hands…
Cleaner beaches and water?
Cleaner beaches and water? How is that working out for us ?
Give your head a wobble
Give your head a wobble
Employment rights have been weakened with deregulation. The erosion of working time, paid holidays, some forms of discrimination, health and safety and redundancy. England is also one of the worst places in Europe when it comes to water quality, with just 14% of rivers in good condition. Plus the human rights act is not safe – exporting refugees to Rwanda.
Give your sarcasm and irony
Give your sarcasm and irony sensor a smack.
chrisonatrike wrote:
This may have been intended as sarcasm, but I have a couple of friends who actually believe this, and voted for Brexit on this basis.
Explaining endlessly that the EU regulations are a minimum standard and there is nothing to stop member states from imposing higher ones of their own has done precisely squat to change their minds.
chrisonatrike wrote:
You are Joe Lycett and I claim my five British guineas! 😉
chrisonatrike wrote:
We always were. The EU rules were a floor, not a ceiling.
matthewn5 wrote:
Well yes, but now we can remove those regulations so that the majority will suffer while a few rich individuals get richer.
I thought I was being mildly
We always had an odd take on EU rules – complain bitterly then follow blindly. Punctuated by “if you don’t change this for us we’re out”. Other nations seemed to navigate these with more finesse.
Anyway I thought I was being mildly ironic but maybe satire has left the building?
Shame Wales voted for Brexit.
Shame Wales voted for Brexit. They can blame their fellow country traitors rather than the Spanish customs.
Dont think thats entirely
Dont think thats entirely fair. Regardless of how Wales voted they would have been dragged out of the EU by the the rest of the UK.
The entire UK ‘voted for
The entire UK ‘voted for Brexit’ apparently, not just Wales. In fact pretty much every region was ‘more’ pro-Brexit than Wales. Only London, the South East, N.Ireland and Scotland had a lower percentage of remain voters.
Dicklexic wrote:
I don’t think this says what you thought it should.
London, SE, NI and Scotland had a higher percentage of Remain voters than Wales.
I was mindful of this last
I was mindful of this last year when preparing for the (covid cancelled) l’Étape du Tour, and investigated both the ATA Carnet and the Duplicate List forms. EU import duty on complete bicycles is 14%.
In the end, as I was due to travel in my own van with bike on board, I decided to go with it and declare it as personal property with no intention to export. Academic really as the whole event was cancelled unfortunately.
I also put together a folder containing all the receipts and proof of purchases within the UK for the bike build, as (a risk not mentioned in this article), I also thought that it wasn’t inconceivable that UK customs would try and charge import duty for bringing it back unless I could prove I took it out with me.
I worked in developing a
I worked in developing a SITPRO export document printing system for a tube making company in the 1980s so I know how hard it is getting export documentation right.
So when all the Brexiteers were poo-pooing that export documentation might not be for the feint-hearted, I tended to dismiss their protests as lacking in practical experience. Smug look.
The reality is that day to day bureaucracy to get through life is at the limits of what people can cope with, so it is no surprise that Joe Public falls down a trap like this.
You don’t know what you’ve had till you lose it.
Ahhh Brexit, the gift that
Ahhh Brexit, the gift that keeps on giving!
Just one more little thing that pretty much none of us (both those for and against) would’ve even considered was a factor when the referendum was held back in 2016.
In this case the club maybe ‘should’ have anticipated this when shipping bikes by van separately ahead of the riders, but quite understandably may not have even thought it was anything to worry about, based on running similar previous events prior to Brexit. It is my understanding that in principle, it now stands that anyone who travels by car/van to Europe with bikes in/on the vehicle will need a Carnet for them. Just one more cost to add to the ever spiralling costs of travelling anywhere. It seems that if you fly with your bike that the airport staff assume you’re a tourist so it’s not a concern.
It got cancelled in the end, but I had been planning to drive down to the Alps this summer with mine and my family’s bike in the van, and then meet them at the airport so that we all had our own bikes with us for the trip. I assume this would’ve been a scenario that would require a Carnet, and I’m sure there are lots of similar situations for other travellers too. I had no idea this was a concern until reading this story today.
I often travel to Northern
I often travel to Northern Ireland with a bike in the car, is this going to be another expensive addition to the many ‘Brexit opportunities’.
What with the desire never to use P&O Ferries, I may have to bite the bullet, buy a bike and keep it there, with the likely downside of more flying.
The conversation afaics says
The conversation afaics says that taking a personal bike in your car is not a goods’ import.
Why would this be different for UK<>NI?
Let’s hope so. Boris and
Let’s hope so. Boris and Frost wrote and signed the agreement, and they didn’t understand it…what hope for the rest of us!
Why would there be a problem
Why would there be a problem traveling to Northern Ireland? Wouldn’t it be between NI and Ireland that you might have an issue? I thought NI was part of the UK.
gbayf2308 wrote:
You’ve really not been keeping up over the last few years, have you?
Northern Ireland is still in
Northern Ireland is still in customs union with GB so you should be able to bring any number of bicycles there with no problems.
saintly_jim wrote:
and then take them over the non border to Ireland, and thence on to the Ferry from Roslare to Roscoff, which presumably will not be subject to EU border checks
For that reason I thought things had to be declared at the Irish Sea. Although I think there are no customs on the way back to GB from NI
wycombewheeler wrote:
Ireland is not part of the Schengen Area, so there will be border checks on entry to France.
Schengen is about people, not
Schengen is about people, not goods.
The exit agreement basically put the onus on GB to check goods were compliant with EU standards and customs rules across the Irish Sea, so goods going to NI are supposed to be subject to checking as the NI Agreement asserts free movement across the NI/Eire border.
So there is a border that is internal to the UK for goods. The implementation of checks is still subject to argument, but in principle, for goods the EU border is the Irish Sea between GB and NI. “Got It Done” Johnson pretends that that is not what they agreed to and generally the Government is hoping that the EU will just ignore the detailed agreement, mainly by using the tools of threats, insults and law breaking, which I suspect is not necessarily going to win friends and influence people.
Correct, but wycombewheeler
Correct, but wycombewheeler said “presumably will not be not subject to EU border checks” – so in their example, driving GB -> NI -> Ireland -> France, turning up at a Schengen border (France), from a non-Schengen country (Ireland) with a UK passport and a van full of bikes – there will be checks on the people and their goods.
ATA Carnet process is very
ATA Carnet process is very feasible and no good reason not to do that for any group tour, global freight standard operating procedure. Have done this multiple times with multiple HGVs full of bikes.
Sorry to say that this just seems like failing to plan correctly.
As already mentioned, a temporary export/import round trip should only incur the administration costs, not Duty…
It’s the additional cost of
It’s the additional cost of an ATA carnet; £360 (plus a security deposit) and some paperwork that might have put them off. Agree that it would in hindsight be a cheaper option than the £7,000 they’ve paid now, but I assume that they just didnt’t think there would be an issue after decades of free movement. It’s still a shame that they have either additional expense on a club/charity ride.
That’s the thing – they
That’s the thing – they thought they were simply shipping their bikes ahead for them to ride, and didn’t appreciate that the law says that is exactly the same as shipping them ahead for commercial purposes…
Welsh politician Huw Irranca
Welsh politician Huw Irranca-Davies and MP Chris Elmore wrote a joint letter to the Spanish customs authority, arguing the fee: “Negated the very purpose of the charity bike ride — to raise funds for Prostate Cymru which is a cause dear to so many people — but also has left a very sour feeling in relations.”
they still don’t get it. It’s always someone else’s fault – (Spanish customs authority in this case) It’s what you voted for. Did you not listen to the advice?
BIRMINGHAMisaDUMP wrote:
Is it though? they were not selling bikes to Spain, they were taking their bikes there on Holiday, and bringing them home again afterwards.
Do people get slapped with a massive customs bill for taking their car into the EU on holiday? Why should bikes be treated differently.
Worst case there should have been a deposit, refundable when the bikes were taken home again.
The rules are really simple
The rules are really simple and at the end of the day Customs gets the final decision. If you take an unaccompanied car, think track day then you need a Carnet as well. Don’t like it, well tough, get used to the new reality, this is the Brexit people voted for. No upsides just hassle and cost.
But they got to use the blue
But they got to use the blue passports they voted for.
Even that is arguable
Even that is arguable
Midnight blue…with a
Midnight blue…with a blindfold on, with the curtains shut, with the luminous alarm clock in a black bag.
Their blue passports made in.
Their blue passports made in…France.
This would have been because
This would have been because they didn’t travel with their bikes. Otherwise i could have 100 bikes sent over in a container and then just say i was picking them up for a club.
I imagine there are ways around this but as rules have changed we need to learn (from others mistakes) how they work.
I preferred to send my bike
I preferred to send my bike ahead to ironman races. Much easier traveling without and having all your heavy kit waiting for you.
I wonder if those services are still able to operate?
Why would they need to close
Why would they need to close the club down ? 7 grand is a lot but shared among a club it’s a lot more manageable.
And why can’t I find any links to the club online ? Nothing on British Cycling.
They seem to be on Strava
They seem to be on Strava
https://www.strava.com/clubs/tap-it-out-cycling-club-36056?hl=en-GB
fenix wrote:
Close it down and go for bankruptcy so the 7 grand doesn’t have to be paid
hawkinspeter wrote:
I’d be pretty annoyed if my club was closed down because 10-20 members had gone to Spain for a bike ride, messed up the administration and incurred a large cost.
https://www.justgiving.com
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/jason-bishop-1?utm_term=AAj9ZPBnp
We are raising money to cover the customs charge, any donations will be appreciated
A similar thing happened to
A similar thing happened to me. I tried to send two bikes via SendBike (acting as an agent for DHL) and they got stuck in customs in Spain. It was a nightmare made worse by the fact that no-one could really explain why it happened. Eventually I was advised that a temporary customs duty was payable potentially refundable when I bought the bikes home. Despite paying the duty the bikes remained stuck in customs (they were there for nearly two weeks). Because I was with a group and we were all on a schedule, DHL advised me to give up on my bikes, hire bikes in Spain, and after some persuasion, they agreed to send my bikes home free of charge. The cost of hiring two bikes for the three week trip was just over a 1000 euros.
The truth is, post Brexit, things are a mess.
If you send anything as an individual by courier or post into Europe you do it at enormous risk. Bizarrely if you take your bike with you on the plane it’s regarded as luggage and the risk, for the time being at least, doesn’t apply.
Shipping small non commercial
Shipping small non commercial samples and prototypes into Ireland is an absolute horror story at the moment to the point that it makes more sense to send stuff to an employee in the North who then smuggles them over the border on their daily commute.
John Hayes wrote:
In the same way you can take a suitcase full of clothes, but if you took a van full of clothes more questions would be asked and paperwork required.
The problem has nothing to do
The problem has nothing to do with Brexit. What the club should have done is obtained an ATA carnet from either a local Chamber of Commerce or other competent authority and this would have allowed the temporary import and export of the cycles without having to pay import duty. It even extends to situations such as car crashes on holidays abroad where a car is a total write-off. Customs will charge duty if the wreck is not exported. Likewise if whisky held in bond is stolen in the UK, excise duty will be charged by HMRC as the owner cannot prove that it has not been consumed in the UK.
Yet this paperwork was not an
Yet this paperwork was not an issue before Brexit, so how is it nothing to do with it?
I don’t recall getting an email or letter from the Government warning me of the changes and paperwork required. You have to know you might need paperwork to even explore what that paperwork might be.
What relationship might a cycling club have with the local Chamber of Commerce? Does the cycling club even know such a thing exists?
Cycling clubs are typically from a variety of walks of life. It is not a given that there is anyone in the club with any awareness of import and export regulations and before Brexit, the public were blissfully unaware of the joys of Intrastat and tax rules. After all, I bet most people don’t really understand their own tax calculations.
I think that the starting point for anything where the public is involved is an assumption of complete ignorance, and any process that depends on the public having an awareness needs to have either training or communication to back it up.
“It usually costs £180 plus
“It usually costs £180 plus VAT for members of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and £300 plus VAT for non-members. You’ll also need to pay a security deposit.”
Before Brexit it cost nothing for this and journalists have complained about the extra costs.
The whole sad story was
The whole sad story was raised in Parliament yesterday, Thursday. The new Minister, Penny Mordaunt, promised help….
I really feel for the bike
I really feel for the bike club. I really wish them well with their fundraising to collect funds for the tariff. I work for Business West Chamber of Commerce and the £7000 charge is indeed the duty payable on the bikes that were transported separately by ferry. If they had travelled with their bikes as personal items there would have been no charge. A Business West carnet (www.businesswest.co.uk/carnets) could have solved this problem and we provide a 15% discount for registered charities.
Have the club investigated the possibility of claiming back their duty? Presumably, they received a duty-paid receipt?