Mastercard is raising its fees on EU purchases made by holders of UK credit cards from 0.3% to 1.5%.

Another Brexit dividend, because we no longer fall under the EU-wide Interchange Fee Regulation that used to cap the fee at 0.3%.

on.ft.com/2KIM3rE
The amazing thing is, we have the EU to thank for it rising only to 1.5%, because they negotiated a lower cap for non-EU credit cards used in the EU.

Without that EU-brokered cap (which lasts 5 years and 6 months) we would face paying even more again.

ec.europa.eu/commission/pre…
It's a known Brexit issue that was explicitly acknowledged by the UK Government in November 2018 when it set out the new law "Interchange Fee (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2018"

They talk about it in the notes accompanying the statutory instrument.
gov.uk/government/pub…
So it's:
- an issue that's been anticipated for over 2 years
- clearly and explicitly Brexit-related
- openly acknowledged by the UK government
- not something imposed by the EU

Treat all current news stories accordingly. The only "new" aspect is the actual fee rise.
It's also worth noting that Mastercard haven't invented a specific fee schedule for the UK.

They've simply applied to the UK their existing EEA inbound cross-border fee, which was last updated in 2019, and which applies to all non-EEA countries (ie us).

mastercard.co.uk/en-gb/vision/t…
How much money are we talking about?

Credit card figures are hard to come by.

People spend about £3 billion a month overseas on UK debit cards (not necessarily all EU) and the fee's rising from 0.2% to 1.15%. So up to £28.4 million a month in extra fees!
ukfinance.org.uk/sites/default/…

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More from @uk_domain_names

23 Jan
"An international removal company in Maldon in Essex says its business has been reduced to zero because of Brexit."

Post-Brexit changes mean their clients face vast fees to import their worldly goods into Portugal, and are cancelling in droves. So sad. itv.com/news/anglia/20…
Here's the official UK Government advice page on "Living in Portugal", updated for the end of the transition period.

Not one word about HOW one might go about moving there (which is the position this firm's clients are in.)
gov.uk/guidance/livin…
And here's the official UK Government advice on "Moving personal belongings to the UK".

The page has a notice on it saying it's out of date. There doesn't seem to be any newer information anywhere.
gov.uk/moving-to-uk
Read 4 tweets
23 Jan
Over the last few days, the Daily Mail has published some fairly even-handed articles about Brexit chaos.

Seems they saved up all their jingoistic vitriol for this travesty, which has every punishment narrative and anti-French trope you can imagine in it!
dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9…
Our side is waving incoming loads through with barely a glance (an estimate yesterday was that HMRC loses £800 million in uncollected VAT and duties as a result). We *should* be scrutinising everything meticulously as well. Instead we're doing nothing. Makes France look stricter.
It's like two classrooms, in one of which normal school-level discipline is being maintained, while in the other total anarchy is allowed to reign. The normal classroom will feel stricter than it really is as a result of the contrast with the apocalyptic free-for-all next door.
Read 4 tweets
21 Jan
We know the Daily Mail, Express, Telegraph etc. lied about Brexit.

We know that Johnson, Gove, Farage, Hoey & hundreds of other prominent people lied about Brexit.

We know that some economists and business leaders lied about Brexit and got 50% of BBC coverage.

(please read on)
We know vast amounts of money were spent on highly targeted, corrosive social media campaigns.

We know all of those things, yet we're still enraged at Leavers? (Some of that is human nature.)

"How dare they have voted Leave! They had all the facts."

(please read on)
No, they didn't have all the facts. Why? For every reason in this thread.

They were living in giant info bubbles. Every source of information within those bubbles was consistent with every other source (and lying).

So how could they REALISTICALLY know better?

(please read on)
Read 5 tweets
21 Jan
THREAD

It's worth focusing on the "new" aspect of the new red tape and paperwork introduced by Brexit.

It's not "new new". They're the result of the rules that apply to the EU's interation with any third country. (Rules that the UK had a hand in drafting when we were a member.)
But the situation is more nuanced than that.

The rules are new for any UK firm that's never had to deal with a non-EU country before.

Likewise for many EU firms, which may have never sold outside the EU, precisely because it was so much more complicated than within the EU.
They're also new for the customs staff at the Channel ports (both sides) because there was no EU/non-EU border present before Brexit.

They're new for hauliers, very few of whom serve non-EU markets. Until the UK left, they never had to worry about much other than driving.
Read 5 tweets
21 Jan
"Ports chaos will get WORSE: Ministers put troops on standby to clear backlog 'amid shortages of broccoli, tomatoes and cheese' as Liz Truss admits Brexit IS partly to blame"

Another straight as an arrow piece about Brexit disruption from the Daily Mail!
dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9…
As I've said on previous occasions...

Yes, it's irritating and frustrating as anything that they're only telling the truth NOW.

But it is still much better than the alternative (embraced by the Express) of continuing the lies and spin and automatic EU-blaming.
If there's any hope of our reaching a closer relationship with the EU, or rejoining again, there needs to be a big swing in public opinion (not all 17.4 million, but substantial numbers).

Material like this will be much more effective than anything the "Remain contingent" says.
Read 5 tweets
20 Jan
"Defra sets up £23m fund for UK seafood exporters hit by Brexit

Each firm can claim up to £100,000 from food and environment ministry for losses due to trade deal"

How does this help? The red tape mountain remains. It's a sticking plaster not a solution. theguardian.com/business/2021/…
What red tape mountain?

THIS red tape mountain!

(The slide below comes from the UK Government's 'Border Operating Model' case studies, which were released on 31 December 2020, 8 hours before the transition period ended.)
And what happens in a couple of weeks when the £23 million is gone? Do they shut up shop?
Read 4 tweets

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