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Sweden: Customs 'uses GPS to spy on fuel tourists'
Swedish customs officers have been accused of secretly installing GPS transmitters on people's cars to detect if they are crossing the border to Finland to fill up on cheap Finnish diesel. It has become common in border areas of northern Sweden for people to travel to Finland to buy cheap Finnish diesel, particularly for use in warming their homes, reports Svenska Dagbladet.Two people have told TV8's Adaktusson programme, to be shown on Thursday, that they have found GPS transmitters under their cars. They believe these are placed there by customs to track their movements over the border. They report having been stopped regularly by customs officers. Customs representatives refused to take part in the programme, but two people who found GPS transmitters attached with magnets to the underside of their cars point the finger at customs officers. The transmitters are marked with numbers and covered in net bags. Tax differences mean that Finnish diesel is four kronor per litre cheaper in Finland, reports Svenska Dagbladet. 1 SEK = .156 USD Swedish Customs wants to put a stop to Swedes buying fuel in Finland. It argues that Swedes have the right under EU law to travel there to buy the occasional can of diesel, but that they cannot systematically fill up over the border. Posted by: mrp 2007-12-06 |
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