George Clooney is engaged to Amal Alamuddin, to the sadness of millions of women everywhere. Clooney and his fiancee have pretty much decided to get married in September, on the one year anniversary of when they met. In bad news for Clooney he may owe the British government £93,577 (almost $160,000) in taxes.
Clooney visited his fiancee in London this past weekend where they visited Highclere Castle, better known as the shooting spot for the popular television show Downton Abbey.
"George took Amal completely by surprise. He turned up at nearly midnight after jetting into Heathrow. George literally told Amal to grab some clothes before they jumped in a cab down to Surrey. She thought it was so romantic, she loves how unpredictable he is. The set visit to Downton Abbey was the icing on the cake of a crazy few hours," a source told the Daily Mail.
The couple then headed to the grounds of Highclere Castle, Hants, where the hit television show is based.
Clooney may have to cough up almost $160,00 in taxes to the British government after buying Alamuddin a £415,900 ($699127 USD) seven-carat emerald-cut engagement ring, according to the Daily Mail. His fiancee wore the glittering ring as she strolled through customs at Heathrow Airport in London on May 13, after celebrating her engagement in Malibu with Clooney and friends including Cindy Crawford.
British travellers who arrived in the UK from a non-EU country, have to pay customs duty and import VAT on all goods that exceed the stated allowances. Customs duty for a diamond ring as pricey as Alamuddin's would be 2.5 percent of the total value, a painful £10,397.50, plus import VAT of 20 per cent of its value. That would leave the couple owing the government £93,577 (almost $160,000 USD in taxes).
Clooney's spokesman refused to disclose whether Alamuddin had already paid the tax at Heathrow or whether the couple was planning to settle it later, saying: "I have no idea of the validity of your story and I have no intention of even addressing it."
A spokesman from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said: "Bringing in goods bought from outside the EU, whether in person or through the post, could attract customs duty or import VAT. Customers should check the current limits on our website." Any jewelery worth more than £390, brought into the UK from outside the EU, is subject to VAT and customs duty.
