Taxes And Food Certificates: UK Counts Brexit Costs By Jean-Baptiste OUBRIER
01/29/21 AT 10:03 PM
A tangle of post-Brexit paperwork, duties and taxes is disrupting commercial ties between Britain and the European Union that have often taken years to build, piling extra costs on small firms that can make cross-Channel trade unprofitable.
Changes since the UK s departure from the bloc s single market and customs union on January 1 have made it commercially and practically impossible for us to continue actually shipping to the EU , laments cheesemaker Simon Spurrell.
Owner of the Hartington Creamery, which produces crumbly, flavourful Stilton cheese, Spurrell must now include a food health certificate signed by a veterinarian with each order sent to the bloc.
BBC News
By Lucy Hooker
image captionLili Piraki was sent earrings from Greece, but had to pay to receive them
A couple of weeks ago Lili Piraki, a London-based journalist, was surprised by a text out of the blue from delivery firm DHL.
She was delighted to hear a friend had sent her a present: a pair of gold earrings from Greece. She was less impressed that she would have to pay nearly £30 in taxes to receive the gift.
The extra charges are a result of new post-Brexit rules that came into force on 1 January.
Despite the free trade deal agreed before Christmas, which promised to smooth the UK s exit from the EU, new taxes and charges now apply to almost everything that goes back and forth between the two, including gifts, second hand items, products bought on Amazon or eBay and from private sellers.
UK Businesses Face Miles of Red Tape with New Brexit Border Rules By Lucy Meakin, Lizzy Burden and Deirdre Hipwell | January 12, 2021
While the mile-long lines of trucks have dissipated at ports, UK businesses are waking up to less visible forms of friction at the border with the European Union that may cause more enduring damage.
From health certificates to new taxes and additional paperwork, the cost of moving goods across the English Channel is rising due to Britain’s exit from the EU. Just 6% of firms told the Bank of England they were fully prepared for what was to come, and the headaches are just starting less than two weeks into the new system.