VAT refunds in Europe are slowly getting easier to process.  With tax rates as high as 23 percent, major purchases can fetch a decent rebate.  Premier Tax Free, a rebate service, now offers same day payments in many downtown locations in London, Paris, Milan, Florence, Rome, Venice, Berlin, Munich and more.   Some rebates are offered in the form of gift cards.  In addition, several major department stores are also offering rebate desks including Harrods in London and Printemps and Galleries Lafayette in Paris.  Check out www.premiertaxfree.com and www.global-blue.com for more details.  Some destinations still require you to go to the airport and show your goods to an agent (which means hand carrying your purchases) which can be time consuming.  Note that each country requires a different amount of euros to be spent before the rebate is given.  This ranges from only 20 euros per purchase in Germany to 175 euros in France.  Look for the Tax Free Shopping sticker to know if a shop participates in the program.  Each year Americans leave an estimated 60 million euros in unclaimed value-added tax refunds…