Self-proclaimed bachelor George Clooney broke hearts all over the world when he proposed to girlfriend and accomplished lawyer Amal Alamuddin, 36. Now, sources reveal Clooney, 53, may have to pay more than 90,000 pounds — the equivalent of $151,371! — in customs tax. “HMRC rules dictate than any jewelry worth more than £390 brought into the UK from outside the EU, is subject to VAT and customs duty,” The Independent explains.
Clooney’s representatives and the airport declined to comment. “I have no idea of the validity of your story and I have no intention of even addressing it,” a spokesperson on Clooney’s PR team told The Daily Mail. Similarly, the airport added, “We do not discuss the affairs of individual customers.” The airport did, however, concede that people are subject to import taxes — and should carefully HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) guidelines (available on its official website).
Several sources report seeing Alamuddin passing through the Heathrow airport, wearing her seven-carat emerald cut ring. If there is truth to these rumors, Clooney’s hefty tax bill would not be the first of its kind. Victoria Beckham famously owed more than $5,000 — or 3,000 pounds — after purchasing an engagement ring for her husband, David, from Africa. Beckham paid the large bill, but the airport refunded the money after a breach in a confidentiality agreement, The Telegraph continues.