Ordinarily, a question of whether to reauthorize the U.S. Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) and to increase its loan limit would be about asuncontroversial a proposition as one could find on Capitol Hill.
If this limit is breached, HM Revenue and Customs can insist on the payment of import duty and VAT of up to 20% on many items, which may include those prized jeans or iPods.