“Belgium-based Yuzuko Horigome was transiting through Frankfurt Airport last week after performing in Japan, the top-selling Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said. When she tried to walk through the green gate for travellers arriving in the EU with nothing to declare, customs officers stopped her and said she needed to pay 190,000 euros in duty on her 1741 Guarnerius violin. On top of this were fines, taking the total cost to an eye-popping 380,000 euros ($475,000). Customs confiscated the valuable fiddle because she could not provide the documents for her 1986 purchase.”
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/08/22/german-customs-demands-500000-from-japanese-player-for-violin/
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