Authorities in Calais are pressing the French government to establish a duty-free zone for British shoppers that would cover the entire port town in northern France, in case a future trade deal between the UK and the EU returns to trade tariffs.
As Reuters reports, Mayor Natacha Bouchart expects that the UK’s exit from the EU will revive the cross-Channel ‘booze cruises’ that saw Britons in the 1980s and 1990s making day-trips to Calais to buy cheap cigarettes, beer and wine on board ferries.
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Calais depends heavily on the smooth flow of people and goods across the English Channel. However, the mayor is having doubts whether a future trade deal will maintain the single market’s zero-tariff, friction-free movement of goods across the Britain-EU border.
What is more, Calais was also exploring the option of tax rebates that would allow visiting Britons to reclaim VAT on hotel stays and restaurant meals. This move aims to encourage them to spend more time and money in the town.
In fact, EU rules allow private individuals to carry unlimited amounts of alcohol and cigarettes across the bloc’s internal borders provided they are not for resale. Nevertheless, after the UK exited the EU, it has until December 31, 2020, to negotiate a trade deal that will determine what tariffs, if any, Britain and the EU levy on each other’s goods.
