Like thousands of middle-aged couples who have sought adventure on the seas, Mark Prior and Pamela Jeen knew they might encounter occasional storms. They never expected their dream could be scuttled by a VAT demand linked to Brexit.
As they spend winter in the Sardinian capital of Cagliari, Prior, 65, becomes emotional when he says he will become a “financial exile” unless the Treasury drops a demand that boat-owners pay 20% VAT on returning to British waters, a levy imposed under the returned goods relief.
He sold his only home in Plymouth six years ago to pay for his 38ft yacht, Grace Richard, which was bought in Britain, and cannot pay a second £10,000 VAT bill if he returns. “My boat is my postcode,” he