Brexit: The TCA and Tax

In looking at how the TCA specifically affects tax matters for clients, we would note as follows:

• the TCA does not constrain future development in the UK’s domestic tax regimes or tax rates, so the UK may deviate from EU tax rules in the future, for example, in line with or beyond OECD minimum standards (e.g. digital services tax).  As noted in our article, the UK has already narrowed the scope of reporting required under DAC6 (the EU’s tax reporting Directive 2011/16) in readiness for replacing DAC6 with rules implementing the OECD’s mandatory disclosure standards. Future GB tax policy will no longer be subject to EU State Aid considerations although instead it may be affected by e.g. the TCA’s subsidy and level playing field provisions.  

• Until 31 December 2020, UK businesses had been able to trade with the EU free from customs duties and without the need for customs declarations or meeting “rules of origin”.  

• From 1 January, new barriers to trade with the EU now exist from a tax perspective – the TCA does not alter the fact that the UK has left the EU’s VAT Single Market and Customs territory (save in respect of Northern Ireland relating to goods).  

• Complex border procedures now must be met as goods traded between the EU and Great Britain (GB) will be imports or exports. Businesses face these procedures now when importing to an EU country, whereas a 6 month phased approach to customs declarations for most goods (until July 2021) has been offered to businesses importing to the UK.
• In the longer term, the EU and the UK government will “endeavour” under the TCA to establish a single window that enables traders to submit documentation or data required for importation, exportation, or transit of goods through a single entry point to participating authorities, with a view to reducing administrative burdens on business. 

• There is mutual recognition of “trusted trader” (Authorised Economic Operator (AEO)) accreditation schemes in the UK and EU, allowing accelerated customs clearance for AEOs, although this effectively means that the UK’s regime must continue in a similar form as now to maintain such recognition.

• The TCA aims to preserve the free flow of trade by providing for the movement of goods between the UK/EU to be tariff, duty and quota free but this is conditional on the goods satisfying complex “rules of origin” which will apply to the particular product in question. These rules are set out in detail via a number of Annexes to the TCA.  The rules are product-specific and take into account a range of factors including the nature of a product’s components, where it was produced/processed and/or assembled, and the product’s Harmonized System (HS) code and tariff classification. No one rule fits all.  

• Broadly, to benefit under the TCA, goods will have to be of UK or EU origin and must have been sufficiently worked or processed/assembled (i.e. transformed) within the UK or EU in line with the relevant product-specific rules.  In particular, a product will be considered "originating" if (i) it is "wholly obtained" in UK/EU; (ii) if it is produced in the UK/EU exclusively from originating materials, or (iii) if certain non-originating materials incorporated in its production satisfy certain rules and/or tolerance thresholds such as in terms of value or weight.  Materials originating from the EU, as well as production carried out within the EU on non-originating materials, may be considered as originating in the UK (and vice versa). The key issue arising from these new rules of origin is for businesses with existing inventory in the UK or EU which consists mainly of non-EU materials and non-EU processed products. Their products will not qualify as originating from the UK or EU and may suffer double taxation on shipment to EU or UK consumers (e.g. China – EU – UK).  To mitigate these risks, the future use of bonded warehouses for non-EU inventories may need consideration.

• Subject to transitional rules to 31 December 2021 on supporting paperwork, businesses will also need to hold proof that the goods meet the rules of origin when making their claim for preferential TCA rates in their customs declarations - this can take the form of self-declarations (the TCA provides text for these), being a Statement of Origin on a commercial invoice or other commercial document describing the goods completed by the exporter, or by the importer applying importer knowledge that the goods are originating together with supporting documents from the exporter, rather than certificates from customs authorities. Failure to do this may result in EU or UK custom duties being payable.  A limited exemption from the requirement to hold formal proof of origin applies to small parcels of goods valued under €500/€1,200 for imports within personal luggage (EU) and under £1,000 for UK imports.  

• Goods that do not meet the rules of origin can still be traded but they will not be able to benefit from preference under the TCA and may be subject to standard import tariff rates that the EU and UK apply to imports. For imports into the EU, this will be their Common External Tariff. For imports to the UK, this will be the UK Global Tariff. 

• The TCA does not cover trade between the EU and Northern Ireland (NI), which is governed by the Northern Ireland Protocol to the Withdrawal Agreement. Special and complex VAT and customs rules will apply in respect of Northern Ireland particularly as goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain will still constitute imports from 1 January 2021, and to understand future EU/UK customs duty implications for movements of goods into Northern Ireland, it will be important to consider the UK-EU agreed criteria (published 17 December 2020) for the determination of goods “not at risk” of entry to the EU Single Market.  See here for further details.

Businesses which have relied on EU VAT simplifications to avoid multiple registrations may need to consider a number of options: restructuring their supply chain including transport arrangements to obtain an EU VAT number, warehousing goods for the EU market in the EU, or setting up a new EU establishment to intervene in future supply chains for import/export purposes (to avoid customers having to deal with import complexities and so as to be able to access EU VAT administrative flexibilities).  

E-commerce sellers / retailers should review their supply chains, contractual terms and price structuring to ensure they cater for the new rules on low value imports valued under £135 to the UK (as well as for their EU transactions under EUR 150 from July 2021), and to allocate risk appropriately.  To mitigate future duty costs for non-EU stocks, retailers may need to ensure their products are imported to consumers direct from the non-EU country or look at using e.g. customs bonded warehouses to store non-EU inventory due for cross-border shipments.