After last week's ruling by the European Court of Justice, the Finnish government has agreed to pay an annual interest of 2.5 per cent for the so-called “non-VAT” to be refunded to the around 70,000 individuals who have imported private cars from abroad.
The interest applies to cars brought over to Finland between 2006 and 2009. Marko Koski of the National Board of Customs reckons that the total sum of the refunds is in the region of EUR 40-50 million.
In other words, around EUR 700 per imported vehicle. To this sum a 2.5 per cent interest is to be added.
The recipients of the refund do not have to do anything.
The Customs is committed to provide the compensations “ex cathedra” and automatically.
“At this stage I am unable to say when exactly the refunds will start appearing on the tax payers’ bank accounts, however”, Koski says.
