Stamp down on costly Royal Mail handling fees

sir – I could not agree more with recent correspondence (Letters, December 27) regarding customs and VAT charges levied on items received from outside the EU.

As a stamp collector I have standing orders with a number of Commonwealth countries. If the philatelic bureaus of those countries send packages of stamps that exceed £39 in value, then, on occasion, I have to pay the customs charge, the VAT charge and the ridiculous Royal Mail handling fee, often for just an envelope.

I have a document which states that zero-rated goods are not subject to VAT in this country. Nonetheless, VAT is levied on some of my stamp packages.

The whole process is flawed and the rules are applied inconsistently. Howard Darbon

Bedford

Led a merry dance: a joint-issue stamp to celebrate relations between India and Portugal