YES - You are correct - they are inflating their prices to us by 20% - as VAT should not be charged on items exported from the UK.
please see my comments below:
BE CAREFUL of the current Marks & Spencer 'Free postage' to NZ and Australia promotion. They have INFLATED their prices by 20% !
Very crafty and actually misleading. If you log in to the Marks and Spenser website:
http://www.marksandspencer.com/Inter...s2_2of2_intdel
They tell you that they have generously given you ‘Free Postage to Australia & NZ’ (The tempting carrot).
WHAT THEY DON'T TELL YOU IS THAT THEY HAVE GREEDILY INFLATED THEIR PRICES TO YOU BY 20%.
Previously their pricing policy was to NOT charge UK sales tax (VAT) on goods exported outside the EU. Actually they cannot do this - as no VAT is payable for items exported from the EU (i.e. to Australia or NZ)
However, they have wacked up their prices by 20 % to us here - so we are paying the equivalent of the UK price (with the VAT included at 20%) even though we do not pay VAT on these exported items! And the UK government does not take 20% VAT on anything exported from the UK.
So this is subtle subterfuge - and deceptive pricing. Do they really think that we won't notice - and are being ripped-off by an additional 20% ! If we bought the same stuff in the UK, we could claim back (OK a portion of it anyway) the VAT at the airport when leaving the UK.
It's not so much the corporate greed here (sadly, I take this as a given these days) - its the deliberate misrepresentation and misleading prices on their website - and the phoney promotion of 'Free postage'.
OK - I guess that if you only bought one item or very little (say below 75 UK pounds - the VAT on this being 15 UK pounds) then you might save slightly, as the postage starts from 15 UK pounds. So yes - you can still make a saving on their current promotion - by buying a small amount - perhaps one or two items.
But what really gets me here - is their patronising, greedy, misleading (even dishonest) approach to their pricing policy. They are basically inflating their prices to us here - and charging us a SURCHARGE of an EXTRA 20%. They are capitalising on a tax surcharge that we shouldn't be paying. Do they really think we are that dim and naive? This is corporate greed and arrogance. So I won't be buying from M & S again. Not that this will get me anywhere. Water of a duck's back, but hey, the little guy does count, does have a say. Don't you think that's important?