Touring in the EU

[Count Bassy]

15 minutes ago, Twigman said:

Untrue -it only applies if you use Swiss motorways.

If you cross the border on a back road you are not required to purchase a vignette.

 

I have crossed Switzerland several times and never paid for a vignette as I never used any motorways.

 

Oh dear, Seems I'm getting a lot wrong today!

[Steve Browning]

2 hours ago, Basinski said:

I believe you’ll need to pay VAT on any merchandise upfront, on entry to each country you travel through - at least that’s what I’ve been told. You then reclaim what you didn’t sell when you return to the UK. Obviously a lot of paperwork and admin. Given that the sale of T-shirts, posters, CDs etc is an important revenue stream for most touring bands, it’ll thus lead to a reduction in income - time is money, they’ll probably have to pay someone to do it - will it be worthwhile even touring for a small artist? Probably not, especially on top of the other expenditure they’ll now be liable for when travelling. 

We should also remember that these rules will affect artists travelling here too. I personally know quite a few people who work here either academically, as an artist or in both capacities, they’ve already said they won’t be coming, it simply won’t be cost affective, which is incredibly sad, and a huge cultural loss. 

That's very true. I would think that most of us on this forum operate at a level where any kind of merchandising (including CD sales) will not be economically viable. Indeed, you would have to account for import VAT (and possibly Duty) on goods that crossed into the EU. It starts getting a bit technical but that's probably all you need at this point. It's probably enough to put you off!