I'm starting comapany in the DR, and recently imported all the necessary goods required. After doing a fair bit of reasearch, I felt somewhat prepared. The goods arrived, and I submited the REAL invoices for the products, thinking it's best to follow the rules.
Customs ignored the TRUE invoices, and decided to assing their own values to the products, which is more than twice the value that I paid. Then, they charged taxes based on the value that they assigned, plus a shipping value that they assigned (again not the amount that I paid). And to make matters worse, each tax (there is not only one) is calculated on the value INCLUDING the previous tax, so effectively you pay tax on tax.
What bothers me most is that I'm in a town where almost NO ONE pays any tax. I felt that I sould follow the rules and try to give back to the country. And in return they are trying to blatently rob me.
My point is to anyone who is naive enough to think that following the rules is the right thing to do: Think again. It would seem the only way to get a fair value is to cheat. It's a shame, because this kind of attitude will never get this county out of the thrid world.
Customs ignored the TRUE invoices, and decided to assing their own values to the products, which is more than twice the value that I paid. Then, they charged taxes based on the value that they assigned, plus a shipping value that they assigned (again not the amount that I paid). And to make matters worse, each tax (there is not only one) is calculated on the value INCLUDING the previous tax, so effectively you pay tax on tax.
What bothers me most is that I'm in a town where almost NO ONE pays any tax. I felt that I sould follow the rules and try to give back to the country. And in return they are trying to blatently rob me.
My point is to anyone who is naive enough to think that following the rules is the right thing to do: Think again. It would seem the only way to get a fair value is to cheat. It's a shame, because this kind of attitude will never get this county out of the thrid world.