Consultation on Future Tariff Schedule

The Government yesterday launched a four-week public consultation on the UK’s future tariff schedule. This consultation will close on 5 March at 23:59 GMT.

The new UK Global Tariff will apply to goods imported into the UK from 1 January 2021 unless an exception such as a preferential arrangement or tariff suspension applies. In particular, this tariff will not apply to goods coming from developing countries that benefit under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences, or to goods originating from countries with which the UK has negotiated a Free Trade Agreement. The Northern Ireland / Ireland Protocol in the Withdrawal Agreement provides for certain specific arrangements as regards Northern Ireland.

To take part in the consultation, please follow the link to GOV.UK. The Government is committed to a tariff policy that takes account of the views of all sectors of society and international stakeholders; including the general public, devolved administrations and the regions, businesses, civil society groups, consumers, associations and any other interested stakeholders.

The Government will also seek views through a series of events across UK regions and Devolved Administrations to engage with businesses, business representatives, consumers, civil society groups, associations and other interested individuals and organisations.

Key areas of focus

To inform the development of this bespoke regime, the Government is seeking views on a potential series of amendments as the UK moves away from the EU’s Common External Tariff.

The consultation offers respondents the opportunity to provide:

• Views on changes to the Common External Tariff to create a bespoke UK tariff regime
• Specific feedback on individual products or commodity codes of importance to them, including on the corresponding tariff rate
• Information on their interactions with MFN tariffs and the importance of tariffs to their sectors.

The Government will also seek views through a series of events across UK regions and Devolved Administrations to engage with businesses, business representatives, consumers, civil society groups, associations and other interested individuals and organisations.

Once the consultation closes, the UK Government will carefully consider all available evidence, including consultation responses, with an announcement on the UKGT to follow in due course.  In designing this new tariff schedule, the Government will ensure that the UK’s position continues to uphold the commitments and values of the WTO where the UK will be a campaigner for and champion of global free trade.

The Government previously developed the Temporary Tariff Regime (TTR) in 2019. The Temporary Tariff Regime, published in March 2019, was developed for a possible scenario in which the UK left the EU without a deal. Now that the Withdrawal Agreement has been approved by both the EU and the UK, this scenario is no longer relevant.

Until 31 December 2020, when the transition period will end, the UK will continue to apply the EU’s Common External Tariff to goods imported from outside the EU, unless an exception such as a preferential arrangement or tariff suspension applies.

These principles, alongside the strategic objectives outlined above, represent considerations that Government is inviting views upon; they do not represent final decisions. The consultation will close on 5 March 2020 and an announcement on the UK’s new Global Tariff schedule will follow in due course.

w: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-trade