Reading the article in the Telegraph it appears that UK motorists now approach foreign lorry drivers to buy diesel at half UK price. Some foriegn lorries having up to 1,500 litre tanks apparently.
Anyone here done this and wants to admit it?
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Silly question but is it actually illegal?
You surely can't pay tax twice on the same fuel.
I'll admit, it sounds like it probably is illegal but why?
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Difficult question.
If non-EU duty paid fuel then I would say the transaction is one upon which duty should be paid when the fuel is sold with EU.
If EU duty paid within EU which it would be if the lorry was say Lithuanian then in order for further duty to be paid in UK the seller would have to be classified a 'trader'. HMRC would likely brand any seller a trader but there is the test of the Six Badges of Trade one of which is frequency so in a court of law likely they would have to prove the seller does this regularly which might be difficult.
Likely if it gets too popular HMRC will just confiscate the buyers vehicle and sell it even thought this is totally illegal. They do this all the time at UK ports when imposing their totally made up and illegal under EU law limits on how much booze and fags you can bring back from the continent for personal use. The EU is always telling them to stop doing this or else but never actually does anything.
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Thanks for that Thommo. I must confess, I don't know as much about it and couldn't put forward as detailed an argument as you but my point was going to be, if Dad and I went to..say... France and he filled my car up with petrol. When we got back, I'd be driving my car having not paid for the however much petrol was in it. Someone has (Dad) much like the Lithuanian lorry driver would have done but someone else is using a vehicle powered by it.
I think I'll steer clear of asking any trucks with LT plates on for petrol...just in case!
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>>I think I'll steer clear of asking any trucks with LT plates on for petrol...just in case!<<
Not that I'd get very far if I did because trucks use diesel don't they?!
I'll....just get my coat and be off.
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Well Adam without veering off topic the principles are:
If you buy something within EU for your personnel consumption and it is duty paid in the country you bought it then that is the end of the matter. For example you can buy cigarettes from say France by phone and have them posted to you in UK and no further duty is payable. However your tobacconist can not as he is not buying them for his personal use he is trading and therefore UK duty is due at the point of sale in UK. If you buy too many fags from France and sell some to your neighbour then you are potentially in the same category as your tobacconist but there are as said rules as to what is a trade and what is not and one is frequency, so if you did it occasionally then your are likely not trading and no UK duty is due but do it regularly and you are trading and duty is due. Its a grayish area and ultimately for a court to decide. Clear?
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Your explanation is crystal clear yes but I can see deciding who is a regular trader and who is a one -offer being difficult to define.
Thanks!
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i wouldnt buy dodgy diesel off anyone as its one of the oldest tricks to water it down and you wont know till the man has gone and you have half man half biscuit.......
sorry half diesel half water..................
--
\"a little man in a big world/\"
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It's just the same as people bringing in large quantities of duty-paid tobacco and hawking it round pubs, workplace etc. C+E would love to nab you, but they don't catch that many.
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The only thing stopping me buying it would be the unknown quality of the diesel. I have no idea where the lorry driver filled up last and what else was mixed in with the diesel to stretch it.
I have been offered half price diesel locally, but refused again because of the unknown quality. Too many cases of people bleaching red diesel to remove the dye which leaves behind harmful chemicals.
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At 50 to the gallon I am happy to pay a bit extra for Ultimate so certainly would not risk dodgy diesel to save only a few quid.
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