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Didn't know the Taliban were hot on noise abatement. Learn something every day. Unless you're a young girl prevented from attending school by the Taliban (or the local council).
Confiscation and destruction are one of the tools in their box. They could have impounded it and asked for corrected paperwork, yes you pay costs storage etc but if you can get it sorted quickly its better than destruction.
This is customs sending a message to the trade but also making themselves a nice headline in the enforcement community that in the UK we are implementing this new legislation with great effect. So when CITES ask for their figures they can all get a fat slap on the back for a job well done.
Few small businesses can afford the legal costs of taking HMRC to court they know it so from time to time tend to simply put the big boots and stamp on a particular trade.
The seized shipment could have been sold for charity donated to schools
This type of overreach will get even more if we move out of the customs union and small business will pay the price of this kind of overreach.
I am not sure if it's still the case but when I first started importing 20 odd years ago they pretty much told me they had their trusted importers in my market segment and frankly, they make it hard for new importers to get started with delayed permits etc etc. I went through that sort of crap for about a year then there was a change of policy and someone told them they were there to help business do it correctly and things got better.
Rant mode off
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
There are two halves to it, and I feel there isn't much defense for the importing business. Law across business for everything from tax to health and safety to copyright and employment law is complicated. This leaves every business with the choice of hiring/training staff or employing third parties to ensure compliance. If the business fails and takes a financial hit, it's harsh to blame the people enforcing the law for that.
The other half is the destruction of the instruments, which is very unfortunate. Sad fact is though, were they to be gifted to charities then a lot of them would end up sold through third parties, and therefore HMRC would be enabling the "trade" in unpermitted rosewood. It is possible an accomodation could be reached with a single charity, as Lee Anderton suggested, might still happen.
The background to this, remember, is the horrific destruction of forests and associated ecosystems worldwide, something that the international community is singularly failing to control and which will haunt future generations. Maybe a bit of extreme punishment is needed for people to take the laws seriously...?
This is not the same as the case with elephant ivory since there is no legal trade in it, with or without documentation.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
If people resisted that, they'd start dumping guitars. Thus devaluing the asset so institutions could purchase them at knock down prices.
They've killed off home ownership for many young people. Savings aren't worth shit, so I guess the next thing to attack is non liquid assets.
Perhaps the best solution then, make the shipper pay to ship them back then obtain correct permits and ship again?
Three guitars from the early 60's - all with Brz board - a business has applied for a CITES certificate in order to sell them - deceased estate - But no proof exists to prove date of purchase, origin of purchase etc so CITES won't grant a licence
So if you think customs are not grandstanding with this.
When I and others tried to report regular importation of endangered species which was happening on a biweekly basis all with fake documents it took 18 months and serious lobbying from our industry to actually get them to act. They said due to being under resourced.
Again with the comments on the 60’s guitars who will realistically have a receipt from 1960’s.
in fairness I also have to say over the years I have received good support and advice but have come to see it as whatever the agenda is this year as their approach is at times schizophrenic.
This rosewood is not illegal though. With the correct paperwork, it would be fine.
A more proportionate response would be to send it back, and let them get the paperwork correct. Wanton destruction of 500 guitars isn't helping anyone except some jobsworth bureaucrat with an inflated sense of his/her own importance.