Friday, 29 March 2024
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Government’s No Deal Brexit update confirms 12 months of 0% tariffs on bike imports

Fresh guidance delivered by the UK Government today confirms a range of temporary 0% tariffs on standard bicycle imports, as well as much, much more.

“For up to 12 months” following a (still to be confirmed, but increasingly likely) No Deal outcome we can expect bikes from anywhere in the world to arrive without tariffs attached. This includes from China where anti-dumping regulations currently apply.

This was frequently raised as a concern in CI.N’s No Deal Series, which interviewed a range of distribution bosses, as well as the Bicycle Association’s Peter Eland, who today informed members of the Government’s latest stance.

As before, electric bike imports will retain a 6% import duty, but absent of any anti-dumping duty.

One oddity, as pointed out by Eland, is that previous preferential rates on electric bike imports from GSP (2.5%) and GSP+ (0%) countries have not been carried through at present. For email updates on this you can register for alerts here.

As shown in the guidance, bicycle parts would also be temporarily tariff free in the event of a No Deal outcome.

Today the British Retail Consortium called on the Government to quickly clarify “future trading relationships with our closest neighbours” following the release of today’s retail sales data, which posted the “worst ever month for e-Commerce growth.” Furthermore, physical retail sales posted the worst September performance since records began, falling 1.3% in total.

“With the spectre of no-deal weighing increasingly on consumer purchasing decisions, it is no surprise that sales growth has once again fallen into the red,” commented Helen Dickinson OBE, BRC Chief Executive. “Many consumers held off from non-essential purchases, or shopped around for the bigger discounts.”

When asked earlier this year about the effects of Brexit on retail sales, those in the bike business were divided on the subject, with most concerned more by indecision than the prospect of leaving the EU itself.

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