More than 95,000 qualifying businesses have been “automatically enrolled” into the Government’s simplified import procedures programme, it has been revealed.
Announcing the move, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) said the move will simplify overseas trading procedures should the UK leave without a deal this month.
Under the scheme, known officially as Transitional Simplified Procedures (TSP), businesses will be allowed “up to six months” to send in customs declarations and pay any customs duties to HMRC after importing goods from the EU.
This, the Government suggests, will “prevent congestion” at the border when goods enter the UK.
However, only VAT-registered businesses that have a record of having imported goods from the EU in 2018 have been automatically enrolled into the new scheme. Businesses outside of this scope will still have to register voluntarily to receive full benefits.
Commenting on the announcement, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said choosing to automatically enrol businesses will mean “one less immediate demand on traders’ limited time and resources in the unwanted event of a ‘no-deal’ exit”
“In particular, it would help the thousands of UK firms who import from the EU but have little experience of dealing with customs processes. We are pleased that ministers have again listened to BCC’s calls to reduce the number of administrative hoops businesses will need to jump through as they navigate major changes to the way they trade across borders,” said Adam Marshall, Director General of the BCC.
The move comes shortly after HMRC announced it would automatically enrol all VAT-registered businesses into the Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) number programme. An EORI number will enable businesses to continue trading with the EU should the UK leave without a deal in October.
The move came after research revealed that just 72,000 companies had registered as of September, meaning an estimated 88,000 unregistered firms may have been forced to cease trading with EU customers and suppliers.
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