The Government shares out my property to the revenue and postal departments.
I have reached the age when every negative occurrence reinforces the view that we live in an age of complacent self destruction governed by self serving, morons.
We accept the interference of the State into our lives to a degree unthinkable merely thirty years ago and which would be sufficient to provoke any 18C gentleman in armed rebellion.
'The State' (by which we mean those moralising, target setting, centralising, Stalinists, who govern us now) feels it has the right to dictate every aspect of our lives. It even wishes to control what we take into our bodies: Tobacco, Alcohol, caffeine and most food groups are discouraged with rigour, while the male member is positively encouraged, indeed sodomy may soon be compulsory for all adults in the UK.
And in particular what has provoked my ire this sunny winters day? I will tell you.
The Customs have seen fit to stop my small parcel of 40 year old toys and slap £24 duty on figures that have already paid tax at least twice in the past. Not to be left out Parcel Force detain my parcel, and demand a further £8 for telling me they have prevented the US postal service from completing the service for which I have already paid £25. These Gougers will not release my property until I have paid in full and unless I get a move on they will send the figures back to the United States.
Perhaps I should have the strength of the American colonists and tell them to throw the lot in Boston Harbour. But I am really anxious to get started on my Marlburians, so I shall simply nurse my bile and pay up.
What a bunch of total bastards.
8 comments:
One is amazed that they manage to justify charging more in customs and duties than the actual cost of the item.
Sadly they don't have to justify it - they just guess the value and you have to pay up. Get your stuff labelled as 'toys' next time and you might dodge the duty next time John.
I would have been tempted to refuse delivery.
Ouch..... :o(
...as one who loves a "real" ale more than most, I've almost stopped going to the pub now because the "Stalinists" have stopped me enjoying a cigar while I drink...
"...as one who loves a "real" ale more than most, I've almost stopped going to the pub now because the "Stalinists" have stopped me enjoying a cigar while I drink..."
Yet another deeply tragic story of human suffering. Is there no end to the misery this government is willing to inflict upon its citizens.
My sympathies.
As a reviewer, I get more than my fair share of overseas parcels, and accordingly charged a fortune.
Mostly these are legitimately marked 'sample of merchandise' and they get through unscathed. Sometimes, they charge them anyway.
I have in the past challenged the amounts, and won. You always win with books.
But it is effort, and they know we have limited effort in the bank.
Well I got (another) very nasty letter from TV licensing today. It's got to the stage now where they are threatening me with legal action.
The fact that I don't watch TV, don't have a TV, is apparently no excuse for not having a TV license.
*sigh*,
John, here in Canada I sometimes get charged by Canada Customs on shipments from the States and sometimes not . . . and there seems to be no rhyme or reason to which it is.
I don't like it, but I don't mind so much . . . but the extra $5 charge from Canada Post for the delay of two to four weeks tends to fry me.
Not much we can do . . . but I am minded of something my late father told me 40 or 50 years ago . . .
He said, "Always vote against an incumbent UNLESS you have a solid reason not to. If you don't have such a reason, he's not worth keeping."
-- Jeff
http://saxe-bearstein.blogspot.com/
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