Brits Spend £742m on EU Tax-Free Shopping

Brits spend £742m on EU tax-free shopping

British tourists spent a record-breaking £742 million (€871 million) on VAT-free shopping in the EU last year – a fivefold increase since 2021 – fuelling pressure on the UK government to reinstate its own tax-free shopping scheme, which was scrapped after Brexit. The surge in British spending abroad has been confirmed by the Association of International Retail (AIR), which reported a 16 per… Source

British shoppers drive surge in EU VAT-free spending after UK scheme scrapped

British spending on VAT-free shopping in the European Union (EU) has risen more than fivefold since 2021, as consumers increasingly choose to buy luxury goods abroad rather than in UK stores, according to the Times.  New figures from the Association of International Retail (AIR) show that Britons spent £742m in the EU last year on VAT-free purchases, up from £527m in 2022 and £147m in 2021.  Spending in the first 22 weeks of 2025 is already 16% …

British spending on EU VAT-free shopping soars fivefold as UK policy faces backlash

British consumers are increasingly flocking to Europe to take advantage of VAT-free shopping incentives, with new data showing a fivefold rise in spending since the UK government scrapped tax-free shopping for international visitors in 2021. Figures released by the Association of International Retail (AIR) reveal that British shoppers spent £742 million on VAT-free goods in the European Union in 2024, up from £527 million the previous year and j…

UK lags behind Europe as British shoppers flock to VAT-free EU sales - Retail Gazette

British shoppers are increasingly turning to VAT-free shopping in the EU, with spending surging to £742m last year — more than five times the £147m recorded in 2021, according to data from the Association of International Retail (AIR). This sharp rise follows the UK government’s 2021 decision to scrap its VAT-free shopping scheme for international visitors, coinciding with EU countries introducing VAT refunds for British travellers. The Times re…