By Ciarán McConigley and Martin Agnew – Directors, Across Borders Consulting Ltd.
Though Brexit has been a legal reality since the 31st of January 2020, people and business in Ireland have largely been insulated from the consequences because of the existence of the 11-month long transition period taking us to the end 2020. This continues to bind the UK to the EU customs union, single market and rules meaning little has practically changed. The 31st of December will mark the beginning of a new trading reality for business in Tipperary that they will need to adapt to moving forward. While we await the outcome of negotiations at the time of this article, there are steps businesses in Tipperary can and should be taking now to prepare for a “Deal” or “No-Deal” outcome. Current status The EU and UK are engaged in ongoing Free Trade Agreement negotiations, and at the time of writing this article we await a decision on these negotiations for the end of the year. It is important for businesses to be aware that a Free Trade Agreement would minimise tariffs but will not mean customs controls will not be introduced. There will be controls regardless. In addition, a Free Trade Agreement does not necessarily mean all customs tariffs will be removed for products moving between Great Britain and Ireland. These details are subject to line by line agreement of product classification duty rates in negotiations. Given these facts, companies need to make the same preparations, regardless of whether or not a Free Trade Agreement is in place from the end of this year. Who will be affected? The end of the transition period will mean business in Ireland that are:
What companies need to do With such a small-time frame left to prepare, the one certainty we know is that goods moving between the UK and Ireland will be subject to customs control from 01 January 2021. Companies must prepare now. Irish Companies receiving products from and sending products to/through Great Britain should take the following critical actions:
About Across Borders Consulting Ltd. Across Borders Consulting specialises in providing customs and trade advice to companies preparing for Brexit and have a presence in Tipperary. Please contact us around any aspect of your preparations for the new trading reality and for assistance to access Brexit financial supports. Across Borders Consulting Ltd. info@abconsulting.ie www.abconsulting.ie
0 Comments
Time is running out to avail of this grant from Enterprise Ireland which closes on 15th December.
This grant provides companies with financial assistance to cover the costs of taking on much needed additional customs clearance staff, which will be required when Brexit becomes a reality on the 1st January 2021. This is a cash limited scheme of up to €20m, with the following financial support available: A grant of €9,000 to support the recruitment or redeployment of a full-time1 employee into a dedicated customs role. A grant of €4,500 to support the recruitment or redeployment of a part-time2 employee into a dedicated customs role. Check eligibility by clicking on the link below: www.enterprise-ireland.com/en/funding-supports/Brexit/Ready-for-Customs/Overview.html #shoplocal #Tipperary #keeptippin business #Christmas2020
shop.localtipperary.ie/ The CRSS will provide support for companies, self-employed individuals and partnerships carrying on a trade or trading activities, the profits from which are chargeable to tax under Case I of Schedule D, from a business premises located in a region subject to restrictions introduced in line with the Living with Covid-19 Plan, with the result that the business is required to prohibit or considerably restrict customers from accessing their business premises.
Generally, this refers to Covid restrictions at Level 3, 4 or 5 of the Government’s Plan for Living with Covid-19 but certain businesses may qualify for the support where lower levels of restrictions are in operation. Read the guidelines here : revenue.ie/en/corporate/press-office/budget-information/2021/crss-guidelines.pdf Enterprise Ireland is supporting Irish businesses to assess their Brexit readiness across Customs, Finance, Strategic Sourcing and Serving your UK customer. Complete the Brexit Readiness Checker to receive a personalised report to help assess your current readiness status and prioritise your actions before Jan 1st.
Click on the link to take the Brexit Checker: www.prepareforbrexit.com/brexitreadinesschecker/ Shop Local Christmas 20204/12/2020 0 Comments County Tipperary Chamber working in partnership with Tipperary County Council are urging all businesses that are trading under the current restrictions to avail of the new online trading directory. This free directory isn't just for traders selling online or offering click and collect. It's for any business, trading in any way including over the phone. Don't be worried about getting your business presence known and finding new means of adapting, get in touch with us and we will guide you every step of the way. Together we will support the local economy. Resources to help you shop local in Tipperary: Clonmel http://winwednesday@tipperarycoco.ie Carrick-on-Suir https://carrickonsuir.net/ Thurles www.midwestbusinessnetwork.com Now is the time for action as businesses have to take critical steps to get ready for new customs rules from January 1st, 2021
Deal or no deal, if your business is importing or exporting goods – and intends to continue doing so into 2021 - there are vital steps you need to consider now to prepare for uncertain trading conditions in the new year. Enterprise Ireland and the Local Enterprise Office are delivering a Brexit Customs Briefing just for the South East region on Thursday 10th December. Join the webinar on from 9:30am to 10:30am which will be hosted by Martin Corkery, Regional Director from Enterprise Ireland, and Kieran Comerford, Head of Enterprise at LEO Carlow. These hosts will be joined by a panel who will talk you through a checklist of must-do actions you need to undertake before 1st January, to prepare your business for minimal disruption as the Brexit deadline draws near. Panelists: John Dawson – Managing Director, Bell Transport and Logistics Ray Ryan – Assistant Principal at Revenue, Irish Tax and Customs Martin Hanley – Co-Owner, Charleville Platform and Hire Katherine O’Sullivan – General Manager at O’Donnell Furniture Makers A new scheme, worth up to €25k, to help small businesses prepare for Britain's exit from the single market and customs union is now open for applications.
Under the Brexit Business Loan, loans worth up to €25,000 will be made available for between six months and three years. The Microfinance Ireland (MFI) Brexit Business Loan will provide finance to businesses whose turnover already is or is likely to fall 15% or more or if the business has a short term cash flow need as a result of Brexit. Tanaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar said "I know it's been a really hard year, especially for our small, local businesses and imminent Brexit feels like another body blow on the way. This new loan is just one of the ways we are helping business to prepare. It will provide low cost finance of up to €25,000 and business owners can apply through MFI. 77% of MFI's lending is to businesses outside of Dublin, which is important as businesses all over Ireland will feel the negative effects of Brexit." Damien English, Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail added: "January 1st is fast approaching for many Irish businesses whose trade will be negatively impacted on as a result of Brexit. The MFI Brexit Business Loan scheme is an assured financial product that will provide some certainty to those sole traders and limited companies with fewer than 10 employees in Ireland as they continue to work through their Brexit readiness plans." MFI CEO Garrett Stokes stated: "Businesses need to urgently start planning for the consequences of Brexit. While the impact will be greatest on exporters, importers need to determine their supply chain and source of imports and plan for any delays or changes required. Many businesses will be negatively impacted by Brexit or suffer a short term cash flow impact. The Microfinance Ireland Brexit Loan is ideally suited for businesses with these needs." County Tipperary Chamber welcomes this evening’s (27 November) announcement from Government regarding the end of Level Five Restrictions which will allow the reopening of parts of the economy from next Wednesday the 2 December.
Speaking after the announcement, Chamber CEO Michelle Aylward said, “This evening’s announcement from Government will be widely welcomed by our members. The importance of the Christmas period for local economies cannot be understated. In the lead-up to this evening’s announcement our members have been strongly supporting shop local campaigns in their communities. We call on the wider community to work with us and be conscious of limiting social contacts throughout the Christmas period. As we proceed towards a lower level of restrictions, we want to remind the wider business community to avoid complacency and continue to interpret the restrictions conservatively, ensuring that any unnecessary congregation is reduced. If staff can work from home, then that is the only place they should be working from. Finally, as a network, we continue to have concerns about the medium-term strategy for ensuring that the re-opening of local economies is sustainable. The “sawtooth” scenario we previously warned about (involving a series of stop-go restrictions in response to virus transmission) is not a sensible approach to managing the economy. That scenario leads to significant additional business costs associated with reopening and restocking. With limited capital reserves, and no appetite for new debt under ongoing uncertainty, many businesses will not be able to continue trading after a further round of closures in early 2021. Most importantly Government must ensure that: • Public health authorities are adequately resourced so that we can limit the consequences of future outbreaks. • We implement an effective programme which tests, traces, and isolates new cases as they emerge in the community • Early local interventions are used to quickly restrict future outbreaks, and • We develop sufficient capacity within the health service to cope with increased demands on our critical care services Following the advice of NPHET the Government is now imposing Level 5 restrictions to curb the significant and swift growth of Covid 19 in our communities and Nation. These measures will come into place midnight Wednesday .
Whilst this is a necessary requirement to protect us all, it will undoubtedly cause great concern to those businesses and their employees who will be directly impacted by the restrictions. Now is the time for us all as business owners and employees to dig deeper, we are all feeling weary and find this extremely challenging but we need to keep going. Now is the time to focus on supporting our family, friends and the local business community and where you can, please shop local. Check online for your favourite local shops, their front door may be closed but their digital one will be open. Keeping it Local, keeps Jobs, where they belong in our community. County Tipperary Chamber welcomes the government decision in restoring the Pandemic Unemployment Payment to €350 per week on salary’s over €400 and agreed changes to the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme to support business in keeping as many people as possible in employment The new Covid Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS) will also provide some solace to business owners who are directly impacted by the measures. Applications for qualified companies to the CRSS can be made through the Revenue Commissioners.
County Tipperary Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors 19/10/2020 |
By
|