UK Trade asking for answers

The Telegraph reports how UK business groups have raised their worries in relation to the Brexit implementation period.

Though I know that UK Government right now is working hard to set-up the proper infrastructure for the negotitaions on future relations and all institutions are preparing their programmes for the Brexit implementation period, it is naturally busy times also in the private sector that certainly still need to prepare in the months to come.

Some examples about reported business worries from The Telegraph article:

“HMRC has estimated that up to 250,000 businesses, many of them SMEs, will need to deal with customs formalities for the first time after Brexit, with declarations increasing fivefold from around 55 million at present to up to 270 million a year in the hardest WTO-only scenario”

“At the same time, the UK has only around 4,000 trained customs clearance officers, with industry estimates putting the total needed at 15,000-20,000, with each officer taking one to two years to fully train”

“Although technology can help with manpower shortages, computerisation is not a solution since HMRC rules require declarations to be punched in manually, not using artificial intelligence”

“Similarly, The Telegraph understands that the Freight Transport Association wrote to the Treasury after Christmas requesting information on how the Government proposed to address the customs brokers’ shortage”

“The FTA warned that business needed information, for example, whether the Government would look to sign a “mutual recognition agreement” for authorised economic operators (AEOs) with the European Union”

To read the entire article, click here: Business groups join trade talks amid fears it is ‘too little, too late’

Source: The Telegraph