Costs, bureaucracy and delays. Britons summed up the effects of Brexit on their companies

The UK’s trade with the EU has since declined, although the COVID-19 pandemic and broader global economic problems have also been major factors. However, the committee found that It is clear that Brexit has had an impact and has called on the government to account for the additional costs to companies.

As indicated, the new post-Brexit burdens include paying for assistance in completing customs declarations and fees payable to the government and port when selecting certain items for physical examination.

Entrepreneurs must also consider tariffs, If the goods do not meet the requirements of the Rules of Origin. The UK-EU Free Trade Agreement is conditional on certain traded products that have at least part of their origin in the exporting country and nowhere else. The committee noted that checking their compliance with the new rules increases costs.

The British Tax and Customs Authority, HMRC, estimated that in 2019 The additional administrative burden for companies in trade between the UK and the EU would amount to £15 billion annually. Committee members also wrote, although not yet updated, that HMRC informed them in November that there were “signs that business costs will be lower than these estimates”.

One of the great promises of Brexit was to free up British companies to give them space to increase productivity and contribute to the economy, said committee chair Meg Heller.

“Now, on the long road to post-pandemic recovery, more is urgently needed,” she added. “However, the only effects that can be detected so far are the increased costs, paperwork and delays at the border.” Heller confirmed.

Members of the public finance committee also expressed concern about “potential disruption to the borders” as passenger traffic between the UK and mainland Europe returned to pre-pandemic levels this year – particularly at ports such as Dover, where EU officials are implementing measures on the British side of controls.

Meanwhile, the commission said that “much remains to be done” as the government is gradually imposing restrictions on imported goods that have already been brought into the EU. She added that the plan to create “the world’s most efficient border” by 2025 appeared “optimistic given the current situation” and that the commission was not convinced it would succeed.

The report indicated, among other things, that HMRC needed to transfer all users of the existing customs system to the new customs declaration service, but by October 2021, only 42 out of 5,000 users had done so.

Another concern raised was that the EU’s import arrangements “have not been tested and could lead to violations”. One of the risks is the delay in the construction of infrastructure in the port of Dover, which will not be ready by 2023. Until then, trucks carrying goods selected for physical examination will have to travel to Ypsfleet approximately 100 kilometers away, with the risk of unloading goods on the way .

“HMRC agreed that the infrastructure and controlled goods ideally should be in the same port, but noted that this is not possible and is verifying the oversight it will need to manage this risk,” the report said.

Published two days before the National Bureau of Statistics presents foreign trade data for the month of December and for the whole of 2021 – It will be the first such annual budget after the end of the post-Brexit transition period.