A retail mail-order supplier, had run two promotions, a ‘self-introduction’ scheme and a ‘introduce a friend’ scheme. Under either scheme the introducer (once she or her friend had been approved, placed an order and paid for it) became entitled to receive, without payment, a household item (such as a toaster, a kettle or an iron) chosen from a list. These were not items in the Empire Stores catalogue and so they did not have a normal retail price.
Held: The fact that the items did not have a normal retail price was an essential distinction from Naturally Yours Cosmetics: ‘Where that value is not a sum of money agreed between the parties, it must, in order to be subjective, be the value which the recipient of the services constituting the consideration for the supply of goods attributes to the services which he is seeking to obtain and must correspond to the amount which he is prepared to spend for that purpose. Where, as here, the supply of goods is involved, that value can only be the price which the supplier has paid for the article which he is supplying without extra charge in consideration of the services in question’. Gifts to the introducers were vatable at the cost and not at the value to the donee even though consideration had been given.
Citations:
Times 08-Jul-1994, C-33/93, [1994] ECR – I 2329, [1994] EUECJ C-33/93
Links:
Citing:
Distinguished – Naturally Yours Cosmetics Ltd v Commissioners of Customs and Excise ECJ 23-Nov-1988
A cosmetics wholesaler offered to a beauty consultant, acting as retailer, a pot of rejuvenating cream at the special price of andpound;1.50. The consultant was to give the cream to a chosen retail customer (referred to as a hostess) as a reward for . .
Cited by:
Cited – Lex Services plc v Her Majestys Commissioners of Customs and Excise HL 4-Dec-2003
When taking a car in part exchange, the company would initially offer the correct market value. If the customer wanted, the company would agree a higher price. When cars were returned, the company at first reclaimed the VAT on the re-purchase price, . .
Cited – Commissioners of Customs and Excise v Westmorland Motorway Services Ltd CA 5-Feb-1998
Westmorland ran motorway service stations. Its practice, known to coach drivers, was to provide, without payment, a packet of cigarettes and a self-service meal (chosen from its usual menu) to any coach driver who brought a coach with at least . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.
European, VAT
Updated: 03 June 2022; Ref: scu.161064