British retail consortium releases ‘Brexit Tariff Roadmap’
The BRC, which represents 80% of retail trade in the UK by turnover, released a report this morning detailing its plans to aid the UK government through the Brexit processes and outlining initial advice.
The report, entitled: ‘A fair Brexit for consumers: The tariff road map for the next government' emphasises the importance of consumer interests in striking the best possible deals with Europe.
Arguing for “neither a hard nor a soft Brexit […] our efforts should concentrate on mapping out what a smart Brexit looks like for the UK”, the BRC says government and industry should be fully aware that Brexit presents both important risks and opportunities.
Highlighted threats included a possible 46% tariff for cheese and 21% for tomatoes. On average, tariffs for food goods would be 21% - if the UK were to default to World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules.
BRC therefore stressed that a tariff deal should be the government's top priority in order to avoid the "cliff edge scenario" of WTO rules, and that similar deals can now be struck with non-EU nations.
The report also highlighted the opportunity the upcoming general election on June 8 presents for the industry to mount pressure on government to make promises and begin preparations for a fair transition.
