About: VAT-free imports from the Channel Islands

VAT-free imports from the Channel Islands were imports into the United Kingdom from the neighbouring Channel Islands that were exempt from value added tax (VAT), a European Union purchase tax. The exemption was a result of low-value consignment relief (LVCR), a tax relief that applies to low-valued imports into the EU. The UK was a member of the EU from 1973 until Brexit in 2020, but the Channel Islands never became a part of the EU and they did not charge VAT on purchases. Once the UK government had applied LVCR to imports from the Channel Islands, distribution centres were set up and many low-valued goods were exported. The practice was unilaterally brought to an end by HM Treasury in April 2012.