It’s the romance that broke a million hearts... and it was disclosed last week how George Clooney has now set a date for his wedding to Amal Alamuddin.
But now Clooney could be suffering considerable anguish himself — because he may have to cough up nearly £100,000 (Dh617,000) to the UK taxman after buying his British bride a £415,900 seven-carat emerald-cut engagement ring.
Why? Simply because Alamuddin wore the ring as she strolled through customs at Heathrow on May 13, after celebrating her engagement in Malibu with friends including Cindy Crawford. British travellers such as human rights lawyer Alamuddin, 36, who arrive in the UK from a non-EU country, have to pay customs duty and import VAT on all goods that exceed the stated allowances.
And duty for a diamond ring like Alamuddin’s would be 2.5 per cent of the total value, a painful £10,397.50, plus import VAT of 20 per cent of its value. That would leave the couple owing the taxman £93,577. Last night, his spokesman refused to disclose whether Alamuddin stopped to pay the tax at the airport or whether she was planning to settle up later, saying: “I have no idea of the validity of your story and I have no intention of even addressing it.”
Alamuddin wouldn’t be drawn either.
But the taxman was less evasive. An HMRC spokesman said: “Bringing in goods bought from outside the EU, whether in person or through the post, could attract customs duty or import VAT. Customers should check the current limits on our website.”
The rules state that any jewellery worth more than £390, brought into the UK from outside the EU, is subject to VAT and customs duty.
It’s not the first time celebrities have seemingly failed to pay proper attention to the rules surrounding the import of valuables to the UK. Victoria Beckham was caught out in 1998 when she was asked to pay a £3,000 bill after failing to declare the £50,000 engagement ring she bought for David while in the US. She paid up but had the money refunded to her after an apparent breach of confidentiality.
Cherie Blair had her own run-in with customs officials in 2003 when she became the subject of an inquiry into pearls worth thousands of pounds brought back from a trip to China.
Clooney has played by the rules from the very start when he sought out an ethical designer who could provided full authentication for the South African gemstone. A source said: “He wanted nothing to do with blood diamonds.”
Blood diamond or not, no doubt the taxman will be taking an interest.
