If you want to understand the vigour with which the UK Government has shot businesses in the foot with the VAT changes, look at the distance selling EU VAT thresholds... All set at €35,000+.
That's right. Even the smallest EU micro-business is expected to register with HMRC, collect 20% VAT from UK customers, file VAT returns with HMRC, remit the VAT periodically to HMRC, and keep all records for 6 years.
And the changes don't only apply to EU businesses. Oh, no, that wouldn't be nearly destructive enough!
No, any business anywhere in the world wishing to sell to UK consumers will have to face the same red tape hurricane.
Added bonus for greater destruction: the £15 minimum has been axed. Now VAT is payable on consignments of any value.
So EU businesses have taken a triple hit:
- Brexit red tape (customs, etc.)
- New VAT rules
- Loss of £15 exemption
And non-EU businesses suffer the latter two.
NOTE 1. The EU is bringing in similar rules in July 2021 (we copied from them, not the other way around!)
2. EU rules will have a €10,000 threshold for EU firms, but none for non-EU firms (i.e. UK ones etc.)
3. A single EU VAT registration covers 27 countries.
So their version of the new system will make things EASIER for EU firms compared to now.
It will make things HARDER for non-EU firms to sell into the EU, just as ours has for non-UK firms selling to us.
We're on the wrong side of the wall, since we're not an EU member any more!
This is my *interpretation* of what happened, but...
The UK had input on the planning for the EU's big change. (This hasn't happened overnight.)
Then Brexit reared its ugly head. But the Tory wreckers decided to pinch the whole thing anyway, not realising that it only harms us.
Why might they have done so?
Desperation.
By outsourcing VAT collecting to everyone else, they've "cleverly" reduced the burden on HMRC at a time when it is reeling from the onslaught of Brexit red tape.
In doing so, they've stuffed thousands of businesses.
It takes a very particular kind of genius to line up three calamities in parallel:
If you think all this is hypothetical, take a look at all these examples (170+ now) of firms that have had to change their business model or stop selling to the UK/EU because of Brexit. Many also cite the VAT change as a factor.
The owners of the domains have 3 months to transfer ownership to a EU entity, or lose them entirely.
(This is a known problem, even if it wasn't widely communicated. I warned about the issue in my book 'Slaying Brexit Unicorns', which came out in October 2019.)
After 1 Jan 2021 (Brexit + VAT law changes)
- Register for UK VAT with HMRC
- Charge UK customers 20% VAT
- Prepare multiple customs forms and other documentation
- Ship
[continues in next tweet...]
- File VAT reports with HMRC
- Remit VAT to HMRC
- Keep VAT records for 6 years
(Above true even for goods <£15, because VAT exception was abolished.)
It's easy to see why so many firms have now written the UK market off. Here are hundreds of examples... docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…
NOTE: Firms in the rest of the world have the new VAT rules to contend with too, but they were already doing customs paperwork so Brexit didn't add to that burden.
The summary page shows 54,990 new cases (this is the figure the media usually rely on) but that only refers to the number of positive test results ANNOUNCED that day.
So there's a gap of nearly new 25,000 cases between the "real" figure and the reported figure.
If we look at the second pandemic spike (from 1 October) we can see that cases by specimen date (when the tests were actually taken) and published cases match fairly well, with a time lag.
But in the last few days, the cases by specimen date have shot up like a rocket!
Ok, it's time to blow the bloody doors off the notion that Brexit is somehow benign... It is already HURTING large numbers of companies.
Here are 140+ examples of firms in the UK and the EU who have had to drastically change their plans because of Brexit. docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d…
Next to each company's entry, you'll see the explanation of the changes Brexit has forced on their business model.
Certain themes recur. For instance, a lot of firms state that the VAT changes (which came in at the same time as the transition period ended) were the killer.
In some instances, it's clear the hiatus is temporary, to allow the dust to settle and a new clarity (or chaos) emerge.
But many other firms have just given up, abandoning the UK or EU market entirely.
Few conclusions from a major ferreting expedition over the last few days (to be revealed soonish)
A) A lot of EU stores won't ship to the UK any more, period - citing Brexit.
B) Still more have paused shipping temporarily for a few days.
C) Many seem unaware of the new VAT rules.
They're having to deal with:
- Coronavirus-related shipping issues
- Delivery firm changes because of Brexit
- Queue fears
- New customs declarations and other paperwork
- New VAT processes
- No more LVCR on orders under £15
None of the above apply to their remaining EU markets!
Plus, some don't seem to have updated their pages to account for the Brexit deal yet - perhaps unsurprising since it was only announced on 24 December and finalised on 31 December, and there were Christmas and New Year holidays in between.
Here are the new post-Brexit VAT rules. Basically, overseas firms are forced to register with HMRC, collect VAT then remit it to HMRC if they want to sell to UK customers. gov.uk/government/pub…
BTW, Captain Kirk had raised this very issue back in October... 🖖
(He's not the first person to mention it - not by a long way - but he's undoubtedly the most prominent.)