Duty Alert! Navigator of the Seas

[lrskier]

WARNING - TEXAS is now collecting state taxes on you "duty free" purchases of alcohol, beer, wine, liquors with no exemptions and on tobacco purchases, single packs of cigarettes, cigars??. You may have 4 liters exempt from US customs and Texas assess $3.75 per liter, 3.50 fifth or pint, 3.25 half pint or minature. Beer 3.25/6 or 12 pk or 3.5/24 pk. Wine 3.25 fifth.

 

cigarettes carton = $15.00

pack = $1.50 ea.

 

Put them inside your carry ons and walk by Texas collectors.

 

Have never experienced a state duty on duty free purchases. Would appreciate updates from other cruisers/travelers on their current re-entry experience-land, sea or air.

[LMaxwell]

This is not new. Duty Free means no duty where you purchase, not necessarily back in the US bringing items in.

 

Suggest you stop telling people to try evade paying taxes in US. Very stupid of you to openly admit in another thread that you hid items that Texas is due their taxes on.

[F27TW]

This is not new. Duty Free means no duty where you purchase, not necessarily back in the US bringing items in.

 

Suggest you stop telling people to try evade paying taxes in US. Very stupid of you to openly admit in another thread that you hid items that Texas is due their taxes on.

 

Not really ... the OP lives in Arkansas ... so why should he pay Texas a dime?

 

Galveston deserves to lose all the cruise lines now ... this is just greed.

[LMaxwell]

Not really ... the OP lives in Arkansas ... so why should he pay Texas a dime?

 

Galveston deserves to lose all the cruise lines now ... this is just greed.

 

I'm not going to get into semantics as to whether any non-Texas resident should or should not pay a Texas tax, but I wouldn't post in one thread about evading the tax and start another thread telling people to try to evade taxes.

 

Common sense.

[pspercy]

Not really ... the OP lives in Arkansas ... so why should he pay Texas a dime?

 

Galveston deserves to lose all the cruise lines now ... this is just greed.

 

Nonsense.

 

They have simply started to apply existing law to sea ports of entry that have applied to land entry "ports" for some time.

[setsail]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2078116&highlight=duty+free+being+charge+taxes+in+texas

 

 

Duty free is only for POS. All goods could be subject to taxes when you transport the goods to another country

[AustinCruise]

We stopped purchasing alcohol on cruises due to the fees.

 

Given the duty is based on volume, it's only worth it now if you get a good deal on a very expensive bottle of something.

[time4u2go]

This is nothing new:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1958345

[ssb]

Not really ... the OP lives in Arkansas ... so why should he pay Texas a dime?

 

Galveston deserves to lose all the cruise lines now ... this is just greed.

 

 

State liquor laws have nothing to do with the City of Galveston.

The state collects the taxes for the State at the port,

not the City for the City,

not Federal Customs and Immigration,

not the Port of Galveston.

 

The law has been on the books for as long as I can remember,

and I am 70 years old.

 

You should feel fortunate the state

has not been collecting it up until now!:)

[mistycruiser]

OK, I'm confused because I had heard that these taxes only applied to Texas residents or for non-residents staying in Texas for more than 24 hours. I understood that everyone else was exempt. Guess I need to see if I can find the Texas statute that provides more details. :confused:

[lrskier]

=time4u2go;43996106]This is nothing new:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1958345

 

Appreciate your addition to post. It was news to me and that was the reason I posted. Good question, are nonresidents required to pay "consumption" tax when only traveling thru the state. The application of this tax also was not begun universally in Texas but Galveston being singled out months before others, probably grounds for a legal challenge. Does Texas tax other goods purchased outside the state and then brought thru a port of entry?

 

As posted, this is a first to be taxed for these items by a state on a cruise or flight.

[oza3798]

When I lived in Texas and went to Mexico there was a tax collector to collect as you reentered.

F27TW oza3798 was wondering if your forum name had anything to do with Fairchild and Trans World?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[The Viking]

Not really ... the OP lives in Arkansas ... so why should he pay Texas a dime?

 

Galveston deserves to lose all the cruise lines now ... this is just greed.

 

Do they not charge the tax in Houston when you sail with NCL?

 

He will be using the road in Texas to get back home to Arkansas.

[raytownlady]

OK, I'm confused because I had heard that these taxes only applied to Texas residents or for non-residents staying in Texas for more than 24 hours. I understood that everyone else was exempt. Guess I need to see if I can find the Texas statute that provides more details. :confused:

 

We were charged the tax last week when we disembarked the Navigator. We live in Kansas and were not staying over night in Texas. The sales person onboard gave DH a 10% discount on his liquor purchase to offset the tax.

[time4u2go]

The law does not exempt non-residents from being taxed:

 

http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/txstatutes/AL/4/107/107.07

 

 

Oddly enough, it does say this:

 

"A Texas resident may import not more than one quart of liquor for his own personal use without being required to hold a permit. A Texas resident may import for his own personal use not more than three gallons of wine without being required to hold a permit. A nonresident of Texas may import not more than a gallon of liquor for his own personal use without being required to hold a permit."

Edited September 5, 2014 by time4u2go

[ssb]

Do they not charge the tax in Houston when you sail with NCL?

 

He will be using the road in Texas to get back home to Arkansas.

 

They will be charging tax in Houston soon

If not by now.

[beachbuddy]

Wow, never sailed out of Texas but we've never been taxed when sailing out of Florida and New Jersey. Is this just something Texas does?

[leaveitallbehind]

Wow, never sailed out of Texas but we've never been taxed when sailing out of Florida and New Jersey. Is this just something Texas does?

 

Yes - it is a state of Texas requirement.

[lrskier]

For those, such as myself, who cruise out of Galveston:

 

The direct link to this release is located here: http://www.tabc.state.tx.us/home/pre...3/20131220.asp

 

TABC to begin collecting taxes at Texas seaports January 2014.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 20, 2013

 

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) will begin collecting personal importation taxes on alcohol and cigarettes from passengers returning from cruises in Galveston in 2014.

 

On January 4, 2014, cruise travelers disembarking out of the Port of Galveston will need to pay the tax for alcoholic beverages and cigarettes imported into the state that were purchased either on the ship's duty free store or at a foreign port of call. TABC currently operates 20 ports of entry collection facilities along the Texas-Mexico border where the tax is presently collected. During the recent legislative session, the agency was appropriated funding to begin tax collection of imported alcoholic beverages and cigarettes from seaport facilities. The Galveston Port facility will be the first seaport location where this tax will be collected with plans to extend to the Houston-Bayport facility in the fall of 2014.

 

Section 107.07 of the Alcoholic Beverage Code, in effect for over 40 years, requires that each adult (21 years old and over) importing alcoholic beverages into the state for personal consumption pay the state tax and an administrative fee of $3.00. The law limits personal importation by an adult to once every 30 days with limits of: 1 gallon of distilled spirits, 3 gallons of wine, and 288 ounces of malt beverages (24 12-ounce containers). Persons importing alcoholic beverages must personally accompany the product as it enters the state. For a detailed list of the taxes for both cigarettes and alcoholic beverages go to http://www.tabc.state.tx.us/poe/tax_rates.asp.

 

Tax collection points staffed with TABC personnel will be situated at both terminals 1 and 2 at the Galveston facility located where patrons come through the U.S. Customs secondary checkpoint. Passengers will be able to pay the taxes with either cash or credit cards.

 

TABC personnel have worked with Port of Galveston officials to ensure that the tax collection is done efficiently and with limited disruption of port operations and delays to the passengers.

 

For more information contact:

Karen Smithwick, Ports of Entry Director at 512-739-9801

Carla Rios, Ports of Entry Quality Assurance Analyst at 512-206-3351

Carolyn Beck, Director of Communications at 512-206-3347

 

 

 

If you notice this is Texas ABC that was directed to BEGIN collecting this tax from Cruise passengers, and Yes, Mexican imports by land have been taxed for years but NO STATE that I have disembarked thru their port have charged Taxes on alcohol and tobacco products. Clearly a move to Raise Revenue for one thing, The State of Texas.

 

Yes, we used the roads to get there and purchased gasoline and paid taxes for such. We purchased food and goods and paid Sales tax and tourist tax on the meals. Slept in hotel pre-cruise and paid taxes galore as most all states, counties, cities have taxed travelers for several years, drove the speed limits so avoided paying speeding tickets. Will be Returning to M D Anderson for checkup next month and will pay more and will pay for Clinic and Doctor fees not covered by medicare advantage policy, but thank goodness MDA is there for all.

 

Taxes, tell me who rushes to the front of any line to pay MORE taxes. Not interjecting politics into the discussion but we sure could, for clarification to earlier reply, this has JUST BEGUN this year on cruise passengers and not forever.

 

My post was to WARN other cruisers that use the forum that this was going to collected on their purchases as they disembarked, News which I appreciate learning on the Cruise Critic. Further posts will be for information and not subjective in nature as I did here and as some of you did to the original post. LOLOLOLOLOL. Flamers!

[LMaxwell]

 

My post was to WARN other cruisers that use the forum that this was going to collected on their purchases as they disembarked,

 

Sure it was. That is why you suggesting hiding your purchases and bragged about doing so in another post. Very ethical. Nice backpedaling. :rolleyes:

[lrskier]

you got to have the last word!!! ha ha ha Bet you a dollar you post back again!!

[LMaxwell]

you got to have the last word!!! ha ha ha Bet you a dollar you post back again!!

 

You came on a public forum (that has your contact information by the way) and told people how you avoided paying taxes. Where I come from that makes you a "crook". I guess in Arkansas that's just the way to do things. I hope next time the tax collectors cuff you. Keep bragging about screwing tax collectors on a public forum. A real MENSA candidate here folks...

[nascar junkie]

Thsi tax was intended for all the carpetbaggers that come through here from yankeeland and use up our natural resourses. Texas residents were also charged to be fair to all but they get it back by not having to pay state income tax.:D

[time4u2go]

Thsi tax was intended for all the carpetbaggers that come through here from yankeeland and use up our natural resourses. Texas residents were also charged to be fair to all but they get it back by not having to pay state income tax.:D

Florida doesn't have a state income tax either, but doesn't charge this import tax.

[nascar junkie]

Mostly yankee's live down there;)