Spanish IVA (VAT)

[cruiseanywhere2]

Does anyone else know about the 8% added to bar bills and speciality restaurants when sailing into, out of and docked in spanish ports I including Canary Islands) Apparantly the addition is shown as a seperate item on your cabin account.

It is in the pre-cruise brochure we received today.

[ROSEBASKETS]

If you need to buy bottled water or beverages for in cabin use DON'T buy them while in port as the cheeky sods even add the 8% then :eek:

 

We ordered water from the cabin steward on a sea day, the accounts office added it to our bill while in port in Spain and the 8% was added. (it was soon removed when we complained :rolleyes: )

 

It's a bit cheeky to add it to the bill when you've ordered the items the previous day:mad:

[kevinyork]

I have never quite got my head around how the Spanish can levy VAT on visiting cruise ships and yet no other EU country does. You would have thought that it would be standard across the EU states.

[Brayman]

On our Canaries cruise last year it was only added when in Spanish mainland port, but definitely NOT on any of the Canaries islands.

[BrianI]

On our Canaries cruise last year it was only added when in Spanish mainland port, but definitely NOT on any of the Canaries islands.

Yes that is correct due to their tax free status but it does apply in the Balearic Islands (Mallorca etc)

Brian

[LibraLass41]

I hope we charge extra VAT to visiting ships to our ports? Nah, didn't think so, take take from us but we never ask for extra do we?

 

I did a Ireland, Spain and France 7 nighter on Azura last July and there were signs in the shops about extra Spanish tax added to all shop purchases, so for example the £9.99 teddy cost me £10.something on the bill...so everything was dearer.

swizz, we only stopped at Bilbo for one day on cruise and all week we had the tax! I was told then we were the first cruise (for Azura) to have this.

[tom_uk]

I've just been looking at our final on-board account from our cruise last year on Ventura: W Med, including calls at Palma & Barcelona. I don't have the actual receipts to hand, but looking at the amounts on the final account, it looks very much as if I was charged VAT in Tazzine and the Terrace Bar during (11:35 & 12:38) daytime in Palma, but not on the Terrace Bar at 18:28, which was very shortly after sailaway. Interestingly, the next call was Barcelona so we were probably in Spanish waters throughout that passage, but we don't seem to have been charged VAT while were at sea.

[BrianI]

I hope we charge extra VAT to visiting ships to our ports? Nah, didn't think so, take take from us but we never ask for extra do we?

 

I did a Ireland, Spain and France 7 nighter on Azura last July and there were signs in the shops about extra Spanish tax added to all shop purchases, so for example the £9.99 teddy cost me £10.something on the bill...so everything was dearer.

swizz, we only stopped at Bilbo for one day on cruise and all week we had the tax! I was told then we were the first cruise (for Azura) to have this.

We do charge VAT on non UK ships. I did a short cruise to Cork on RCI Independence and there was a notice in all the shops that UK VAT would be added to displayed prices for the whole cruise, even when outside UK waters.

 

Are you sure you were not charged UK VAT on your Azura cruise as P&O do have higher prices when not calling at a non EU port?

 

I have only every been charged Spanish VAT whilst in port and it shows up as an extra amount on your bar chit.

Brian

[LibraLass41]

You maybe right Brian.:confused: We were charged extra and there was a sign by the tills to say extra Tax would be added....that might of been the reason then.

[cruiser1955]

Not 100% sure on this, but unless a P&O ship stops at a duty free or non-EU port, VAT will be added to all on board spend. If the Spanish tax at 8% is added, only this tax is added, not UK VAT as well while in Spanish waters. All of my cruises have included a non-EU or Tax free destination, so have remained UK VAT free. Maybe this is why a lot of P&O ships are calling at Gibralta. This seems to be a recent development (over the last 12 months or so) so more information may become available.