Quote:
|
4) We'd like to locate in France or Italy - the border area between the two. Does anyone have any suggestion as to which might be best?
|
In all seriousness, I suggest you give substantial preference to whichever country has a language that you speak fluently. i.e. Choose France if you speak French.
In the US, there are a lot of foreigners working in computers, and I can attest that it is extremely difficult to conduct business across a language barrier -- and these are people who (supposedly) speak English. You will surely have to deal with government officials as well as your customers, and being able to communicate will be very important.
If you don't know the language and you are planning 10 years ahead, it is not too early to start learning.
Also, be sure to learn the culture. It's amazing how easy it is to be terribly rude if you don't know the local customs. For France, I recommend the book "French or Foe?" as a start. By the end of the book, I had decided the answer was "definitely foe"
, but on visiting France I was glad to have read it and I'm sure it helped my interactions there.
Quote:
|
6) How about that scary VAT tax? Am I going to have to pay 10% of whatever some customs guy thinks my boat is worth? (get out the coal and dirty up the boat!) ha ha ha
|
Last time I looked, the import tax and VAT are due when the boat has been in the EU for 18 months. This is independent of whether it is flagged in the EU or not. I understand that people shop around for a venue with lower VAT, but you're looking for a few percent difference. Still, that's a lot of money when you talk about a boat. If I remember correctly, the lowest VAT that I ever saw listed was 17.5%.
b.t.w. They know you are going to crap up the boat before the appraiser gets there.
Quote:
|
Any other things to watch out for in this type of move?
|
The CE approval that Talbot mentioned is for compliance with the "Recreational Craft Directive". That defines the Class A, Class B, etc ratings that you see on new boats. How much this would apply to you is a whole topic of research, keeping in mind that you are importing the boat for commercial use.
For that matter, are you allowed you import a boat for commercial use? The US does not allow imported boats to be used commercially. Maybe the EU has something similar.