NationStates Jolt Archive

A resolution to limit the amount of goods somebody may bring across from one nation to another. This is to protect a nation that decides to levy a higher tax on goods than another and therefore would loose revenue if its citizens go across the border and buy taxed goods from another nation and sells them back home. NOTE this resolution ONLY applies to individuals and NOT company's. The following goods are covered under this act:
1)Drinkable Alcohol (beer,Wine,Spirits,fortified wine,liqueur)
2)Tobacco
3)Petroleum (Petrol [Gasoline US], Autogas (LPG), Ethanol, Methanol, Gasohol, Diesel, Aviation gasoline [high octane gasoline, not Jet fuel], Liquefied natural gas)
4)Perfume
5) All other goods inc gifts

The maximum limits for each of the points are listed below. NOTE a nation may set lower limits than shown below however they may not set a higher limit. NOTE anything bought back must be for personal use/cons OR be a GIFT for somebody.
1)
a) Beer/Larger/Ale/Stout (12 Liters in total can be split between all 4 [eg 3 liters of beer, 4 liters of Larger 3 liters of Ale and 2 liters of stout])
b) Wine/Sparkling wine/Fortified Wine/Spirits (over 22% volume) (2 Liters)
c)Liqueur (2 Liters)
d) Any other alcoholic beverage not covered above (0.5 liter)
NOTE this is in total therefore somebody could bring back 12
2)
a) Cigarettes (600 individual Cigarettes)
OR
b) Cigars (150 individual cigars)
OR
c) cigarillos (300 individual cigarillos)
OR
d) Tobacco ( 300g [Does not include any tobacco in 2a,2b or 2c])
3)NOTE Any fuel in a cars fuel tank can NOT be included in this limit. However fuel in any MODIFIED fuel tanks can be included if a customs officer has reasonable suspicion that the tank is being used to smuggle the fuel.
a) Petroleum (10 Liters)
4)
a)Perfume (400ml)
5)
a) Any other goods that have been purchased in any other foreign country should be of a collective value of no more than: (£500)

PENALTY'S
1)If any individual does exceed these limits then they must be asked to either leave the excess goods at the customs point or pay and duty owed on those goods.

2)If any individual is believed to be deliberately trying to deceive customs officers eg by hiding excess goods then ALL goods under points 1-5 must be seized and impounded. Charges can be bought against the individual however it is down to individual nations to set the sentences. Finally the vehicle used to transport the goods MAY also be impounded at custom officers discretion.

This... needs a lot of work. I'll leave it to the regulars for the point-by-point details, but in its current form, it's illegal.

There are a number of obvious problems with this, not least the length (which we believe exceeds that a resolution may have) and the reference to the '£', evidently from context a form of currency but one with which we are wholly unfamiliar. From a purely personal standpoint we would also like to observe that the Grocers' Apostrophes are singularly unwelcome, and should the honoured representative persist in their abuse we would feel forced to administer remedial English lessons.

More important even than the grammar, however, is the observation that we can think of no reason why this legislation should come before the UN. While it deals with international borders, customs is not a matter appertaining to any country except the country being entered. The case has not been made why the entry duty of any nation is the business of anyone but that nation.