Boost for booze cruisers

EURO MPs voted today for an end to all Customs controls on the amount of cheap alcohol and tobacco brought into Britain.

The move has no legal force, but it increases pressure for an end to the existing advisory limits on the amount of beer, wine and spirits and cigarettes which can be brought in from supermarkets across the Channel without paying UK excise duties.

Under current rules, customs staff can confiscate the purchases of 'booze-cruise' shoppers if they think the amounts are more than can be justified for personal use.

Now, in a bid to stop over-zealous customs officials, the European Commission has suggested doing away with the guideline limits altogether on personal imports of alcohol, while keeping them for tobacco on health grounds.

A majority of MEPs, asked for their opinion as part of the Commission's formal 'consultation' process, say the limits are not binding, and hard to enforce, and should be scrapped.

Conservative MEP John Purvis said he hoped the vote would lead to an end to 'heavy-handed treatment' of cross-channel shoppers. 'The burden of proof should now move from the shopper to the customs officer - meaning that unless HM Customs and Excise can show that travellers are bringing in goods for commercial sale, travellers should be allowed to proceed unimpeded.

'Customs officers have been using these guidelines as arbitrary limits, effectively turning honest cross-channel shoppers exercising their rights into suspected criminals.'

Mr Purvis urged EU governments to take heed of the vote and 'bin' the guidelines, adding: 'In 1755 Dr Samuel Johnson described excise as 'a hateful tax'. Perhaps he had just returned from Ostend with a year's supply of ready-rubbed and been pulled over by the law.'

But British Labour MEPs said the guideline limits should stay. Labour's Peter Skinner said: 'We are also utterly opposed to the proposals to end alcohol and cigarette limits. Under-age drinking and black market alcohol sales would spiral out of control if we scrapped our customs limits on alcohol.'

He went on: 'British alcohol allowances are set at a level so people can bring back wine and beer from their holidays and enjoy it in their own homes. They are also designed to prevent our market being flooded with cheap supplies of alcohol that encourage excess and under-age alcohol abuse.

'The social cost of children falling prey to smoking and drinking at an early age is extremely high. We have a responsibility to protect our children and set proper limits that do not encourage black market sales of alcohol.'

The Treasury has been losing huge amounts of tax revenue because of the numbers of people taking advantage of the EU single market to load up with cheap alcohol and cigarettes at lower tax rates across the channel.

The Commission says cross-border-shopping is a fundamental EU right and should not be regarded as a form of tax evasion, even if it means revenue losses for Chancellor Gordon Brown.

According to the EU guidelines which customs staff follow, amounts up to 800 cigarettes, 400 cigarillos, 90 litres of wine (including a maximum of 60 litres of sparkling wine) and 110 litres of beer is deemed for personal use, although national authorities should consider 'individual circumstances' when carrying out checks. For example, amounts above guideline levels can be considered as for personal use if the purchaser convinces officials it is for a wedding or big party.

On the other hand, if someone bringing in less than guidelines levels has been identified by surveillance operations as involved in illicit sales evading excise duties, penalties can be imposed.

The Commission intervened after complaints to Brussels from some shoppers whose cars had been impounded and goods seized.