The UK customs system is not ready for Brexit and it could be three more years before it is, as Peter MacSwiney, chair of the Brexit committee at the Joint Customs Consultative Committee stated (JCCC).
Specifically, McSwiney commented on Sky News that plans had been ‘left to last minute’.
The JCCC is collaborating with major players in the industry and liaises with both the government and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) about the implications of Brexit.
During March, members of JCCC criticised HMRC as it delayed to pass on crucial information on how to prepare for an uncertain future.
Specifically, JCCC commented in March
The trade membership is concerned about the quality of consultation with HMRC in preparation for a potential no-deal departure from the EU. We are collectively of the opinion that members are not ready for a no-deal exit.
Following, MacSwiney stated that he agrees with the above. He highlighted the fact that preparations for Brexit are being slow.
As he addressed
I don’t think HMRC have taken enough time to explain what we have to do. If we ended up leaving on April 12th, HMRC would be ready with their infrastructure and computer systems, but the problem would be everything that goes on round that – the way that the information gets put into the system – isn’t ready, nowhere near.
He continued that the problem with HMRC is that they will have to cope with the huge rise in declarations, as the only way to deal with it would be automation. Yet, he noted that automation would approximately take 18 months and 2 years for computer systems to be ready.
