6th year Report: The Cost of Brexit

… seems that the Brits were sold a bill of goods at least as odorous as “trickle down”.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/jun/25/what-have-w…

On 23 June 2016, Geoffrey Betts, the managing director of a small office supplies business in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, had high hopes for his firm, and the British economy, when he voted for Brexit.

In late 2020 Betts decided there was no option but to set up a depot inside the EU single market – in the Netherlands – at considerable expense, to avoid costly delays in transit, mountains of Brexit-related paperwork at the border, and VAT issues when sending goods to customers on the continent.

The switch means that, 18 months on, he has retained a decent slice of trade with customers inside the EU. But because his goods are now distributed from the Dutch depot, tax revenues which would have gone to the UK exchequer now go to the Dutch government instead. Jobs have been created in Holland, not here. Goods that would have been transported from the UK – and created work and employment here – are instead sent direct from the Netherlands to EU destinations, including Ireland.

intercst

20 Likes

Brexit was a “good story” which attracted the British equivalent of the US red hatted guys on this side of the pond. A well-crafted fiction which twanged the heartstrings of those who felt disenfranchised by others. There were winners, but not the majority of the faithful followers of the tale.

Book recommendation: “Sapiens” by Yuval Harari.

Jeff

… seems that the Brits were sold a bill of goods at least as odorous as “trickle down”.

… sort of like Ontario cutting the gas tax significantly to pander then wondering where the almost C$ billion in lost revenue will come from?

No risk of the Nova Scotia government being so stupid. Our premier is not even considering it.

Tim

2 Likes

…the Brits were sold a bill of goods…

Maybe the Brusselsprouts don’t taste that bad after all?

Pete

The Irishman in me, my heritage is very wary of the English bigotry involved in Brexit.

The UK and US ride together in the economic cycle.

Demand side econ builds a nation’s wealth. The US and UK are entering demand side econ while Germany France are entering supply side econ.