AAHHHHH!!!! SO good the hear! FANTASTIC! Guess the guy who confiscated it didn't want to get in trouble now that his scheme was exposed!
I got some clarification on the rules. As a passenger you will just be taxed on the assessed value over $300.00 dollars. I want to say its a flat 15%.
I don't think it was a scheme after all. My spanish is just very poor so I felt in the moment that I was being taken advantage of because he wouldn't give a receipt. I took a "handler" with me when I returned that could translate and it seems the official was helping me out a bit. He said that crew members are only allowed a certain list of items (cell phone, tablet, laptop, clothing, luggage, etc.) and up to $150 worth of other merchandise. anything valued over $150 has to have paperwork filled out to import the item into the country and I would have been taxed. If I wanted to then take it out of the country I would have to hire a customs broker to export the item and it would have cost me a fortune. By not documenting it and just holding onto it for me it seems he saved me a big headache.
That has been my experience in a lot of places including Haiti, I mention Haiti because its probably the poorest country I've visited. Beautiful people and culture, they just have a corrupt government.
I see , what if you were a Mexican citizen do you still have to pay ?
Last time my mother was asked if there was something to declare over $300 at customs, but they only wanted to know on items like gifts.
