Brexit import charges and delays
Deputy McGrath described post-Brexit problems for hauliers, car importers and goods being held up at the border, and urged a fix to import duty and VRT arrangements. The Tánaiste said he would check it, but stressed that customs friction and checks were now the reality after Britain left the single market and customs union.
We all expected teething problems on 1 January with regard to Brexit. Irish Road Haulage Association hauliers and many private haulage companies and car importers have been on to me and many other politicians about this issue. There are anomalies in the 300 page document and nobody in Revenue, who are doing their best, can give people an answer as to why they must pay the import duty at the point of entry. When they bring in cars they pay the VRT when they sell them and register them. That should be done now with this also.
Drivers of trucks are being held up, sometimes for 24 and 48 hours. That is totally unfair to them. They are innocent here. If there are cars for four or five garages on the one load one driver might not have money in the account to pay whatever is the sum. They will have to pay it later on because it is registered and documented. We need to have this document simplified. We need to have the Minister for Finance, the head of Revenue and the Secretary General of the Department of Finance deal with this to give clarity and stop the chaos at the ports.
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It is affecting all kinds of transport but particularly cars coming in here. Cars and packages-----
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-----such as foodstuff and so on are being affected. I ask the Tánaiste to please try to get this resolved because it is causing huge problems.
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I thank the Deputy. I will certainly check that out. Every day there is a new problem when it comes to Brexit. There are many teething problems, as the Deputy says, but it is important to admit that they are not all teething problems. Britain has left the Single Market and the customs union. Frictionless trade with Britain is over. Checks, charges, controls and paperwork are now the new reality when it comes to trade with Britain. That was their decision. We regret it but we have to deal with it. While we will try to minimise disruption for business it will not be possible to eliminate it entirely.
Wilker Auto Conversions, in Offaly, has announced that staff will be laid off there for about three weeks in respect of supply issues as a result of Brexit. Enterprise Ireland and my Department are reaching out to the company today to see if we can help out in any way but I understand that a three-week temporary lay-off is the worst case scenario and the employees will be re-hired after three weeks.