HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has introduced an additional £10 million in Brexit grant funding.
The funding has been made available by the Government to help companies prepare for Brexit, particularly for customs intermediaries and agents.
HMRC will provide an additional £10 million in grants for customs agents and intermediaries to build capacity in managing customs declarations, following the £21 million cash injection that was announced at the beginning of the year.
With the UK set to leave the European Union (EU) on 31 October 2019, some experts have criticised the lack of Government assistance with preparations, while an investment of £16 million was made available in September to provide funding for the training and IT costs relating to customs declarations.
The latest grant funding is available to businesses that are either based in or have a branch in the UK that is currently able to complete customs declarations for both importers and exporters.
The grant can be used to help the costs associated with recruiting staff, with £3,000 for this process, while £10,000 is available to help with salary costs.
The closing date for applications for the funding is 31 January 2020, and businesses that applied for the first and second stage of grants are able to apply for the current stage as well.
This follows the Government unveiling a new security export strategy, as well as a new online tool to assist with international trade for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).