Buying or selling a boat and all at sea?

There is considerable uncertainty about the VAT treatment when buying or selling a boat. This means that, for a boat seller or someone thinking about buying a boat it is imperative to know where you stand as misinformation can be costly. This is the reason I have produced an eBook setting out everything you need to know in order to decide if a boat is subject to VAT. The eBook also covers some of the most frequently asked questions in this area.
I have been a lawyer for over 30 years and one of the areas that I specialise in is VAT. Therefore the eBook offers advice and guidance from a qualified lawyer who has dealt with VAT for many years. The eBook costs a fraction of the price of approaching a solicitor directly.
The eBook provides the following information:
- Definition of a ‘qualifying ship’
- How to calculate gross tonnage
- Significance of zero-rating
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The FAQ section is very detailed and is based on the queries I have received since I wrote a blog on this topic in 2011. A selection of the questions are as follows:
- Do living arrangements have an impact on VAT?
- Queries regarding boat measurements
- How to determine if the vessel has been designed or adapted for recreation or pleasure
- VAT liability if a boat changes its status after it has been purchased
- Difference between exempt from VAT and 0% VAT
- What constitutes my contract?
- How do I know if the boat seller has cleared the VAT status of the boat with HMRC?
To obtain a copy of this eBook, please click on the button below to make a donation of £35 to a charity called My Place and the eBook will be supplied as a free gift.
Please see below for more information regarding the life-changing work My Place carry out.
My Place

My Place is a charity dedicated to transforming the lives of the most disadvantaged and at-risk children in various parts of Asia by a variety of initiatives which ensure that such children will gain access to the following:
- Education
- Health care
- Spiritual growth
- Healthy emotional and social growth
At present My Place work in Yangon in Myanmar and Mae Sot in Thailand.
Yangon (Myanmar)
In Yangon My Place are running and supporting six homes where they care for 67 children. Myanmar is currently going through some tremendous changes that are mostly regarded as positive after decades of isolation, internal conflicts and stagnation. Many children in the country, however, continue to become destitute by losing family members to preventable diseases or by displacement due to regional conflicts. Some of them find it impossible to gain access to education or health services. Due to extreme poverty, many also become vulnerable to human trafficking and slavery. My Place partner with local Christian families in and around Yangon who have great compassion for the most destitute and disadvantaged children. My Place also sponsor a number of children from a slum community to enable them to go to school.
Mae Sot (Thailand)
In Mae Sot My Place operates two homes, one of which was established specifically to provide an alternative for children who were living and working on the garbage dump of Mae Sot, described as one of the worst in the world. Mae Sot is a town on the Thai side of the Thailand/Myanmar border and is known for having more refugee and economic migrants from Myanmar living there than Thai nationals. Many of these people struggle to survive and Mae Sot’s location means it is a hub for of all kinds of trade including illegal activity like trafficking of drugs and people. Naturally this breeds a situation where the most vulnerable people are victims of exploitation and neglect.
I hope you agree that this is a very worthwhile cause and I would just like to re-iterate that all the proceeds from the eBook will go towards this charity. For more information regarding My Place please visit their website.
To obtain this eBook from My Place please click on the button below to make a donation of £35 and the eBook will be supplied as a free gift.