Something we are all used to in this country is the concept of paying tax. We have to pay tax on the vast majority of purchases we make in our lifetime as well as every pay packet we receive. It is what fuels the economy and allows the government to distribute funds where and when needed.
A percentage of every wage packet we will ever receive goes to the government as tax, as does a slice of what we pay on every shop purchase we make, and it is this money that allows our economic system to work and our government to manage it.
However, despite the fact that tax and its benefits are more or less what separates our country from the less economically developed countries and it allows the country to be run in a way that benefits everyone, but even so, at the end of the day, it is our hard earned money that's being taken away from us, so aren't we at least entitled to a little groan about it once in a while?
However if you are a citizen of a country outside the EU and you are visiting the UK (or one of the other qualifying countries within the EU) then there is a scheme in place that allows you to claim back tax that you pay on purchases from certain stores.
There are five steps that you should take in order to claim your tax back, and they are:
1. Each shop that is part of the tax-free shopping scheme will have a sticker indicating so in the window, look out for this sticker and shop in these stores.
2. Ask what the minimum spending amount is to qualify for the tax refund as this can change from shop to shop.
3. Request and fill out the tax refund cheque form.
4. When you show customs your passport on your way out of the country, show them your completed tax refund cheque form.
5. There will be a tax refund office nearby in the airport, or if you are in a hurry, you can send your tax refund form off to the tax refund company via post and the full amount of tax you paid on your qualifying purchases will given to you in the form of a cheque or credited to your credit card.
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