Why don't I get a full 20% refund on my tax-free purchase?

Question

I made a purchase in Florence totaling 270 Euros. On the refund invoice it says price ex sales tax is 225, the tax percent is 20%, and my total price is 270. However, my refund only totals to 32.40. Shouldn't it be 270-225 = 45 Euro instead?

(I purchased a purse from Gucci)

Answer 1

You are right - the sales tax in Italy is 20%. You never get the entire amount refunded because there is a commission on this service. The 14.4% you got back is the going rate. Some of the shops that advertise Duty Free sometimes don't tell you that you'll not get a full refund. They do this either because they want to be slick or they just don't know what they are doing. I need to tell you that slick is usually the reason why.