Bill means returning students won’t have to pay taxes on their stuff

Students returning from abroad after their studies should not have to pay customs for their belongings, MPs said on Tuesday as they discussed a bill to this effect at the House commerce committee.

The legislative proposal was jointly submitted by Akel MP Irene Charalambides and Disy MP Kyriacos Hadjiyiannis, who reported receiving complaints from returning students when their university studies were over.

After choosing to ship back their belongings, they were required to pay customs taxes when returning from a non-EU country.

Hadjiyiannis said the discussions would continue with the ultimate aim of getting the bill to plenum as soon as possible.

“I believe it is the least we can do for our students. This is a gap in the legislation anyhow and it’s not worth having such costs and demands to get these people who studied abroad to pay.”

Charalambides said there were ongoing efforts to find the best possible solution with the customs department and tax office.

Already, the matter has been discussed three times, and she suggested implementing a €3,000 – €4,000 cap on imports.

“Cars should be excluded from this.”