Anyone else starting to look at rules of origin

As a manufacturer and exporter, rules of origin are becoming key.

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We manufacture and export worldwide. It looks like the two principal Brexit issues we have are:

1) Establishing rules of origin,

2) Being able to support machinery already installed.

Is anyone else looking at rules of origin in a similar context?

With regard to our new machinery, I am happy that we can continue with UK rules of origin, on the basis of a significant change of tarrif heading.

For spare parts I am less certain. We purchase most of our parts in the UK, but are not hugely aware of where these were made.

Some of our suppliers are fairly niche, so we can can ask them on a product by product basis.

For other suppliers, we are but a small fish to them...

Going to be interesting!

In addition I don't really know where I will end up with my service engineers.

Replies (6)

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A Putey FACA
By Arthur Putey
07th Jan 2021 12:09

If you don't have proof of where something came from, then what happens? Is it going to be a bit like Intrastat, where statistical information may not be easily available to the accounts perople who are lumbered with the job and more or less make it up for the purposes of form filling?

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Replying to Arthur Putey:
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By tom123
07th Jan 2021 12:16

I agree ref intrastat!.

Our customers will ask us for these declarations - indeed they will be required to actually ship stuff through customs.

Take as an example an item of electronics, supplied from a UK online distributor. Unlikely to be EU origin, I would have thought.

When incorporated into a big machine - no problem, change of tariff code.

If sold as a spare part to an EU customer, whose to say it is not still treated as originating outside of the EU and thus more duty payable by the end customer.

Fortunately we are not a big company (although our customers mostly are), so we can just play by ear and see what gets held up at customs or not.

Going to be messy!

I am pleased to have done my last Intrastat and EC sales list though

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Replying to tom123:
A Putey FACA
By Arthur Putey
07th Jan 2021 12:40

Those above the supply threshold have to keep doing them though?

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Replying to Arthur Putey:
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By tom123
07th Jan 2021 14:04

Will re-check the levels, but think I am in the clear!

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Replying to tom123:
Routemaster image
By tom123
07th Jan 2021 14:27

EDIT - Relief! I only do dispatches, not arrivals, and they go.

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By normanwl
14th Jan 2021 10:23

From experience over many years you can get carried away here. In the end everything comes from raw materials. So for example with an aluminium component we could eventually ask where did the bauxite come from? This is absurd.

I suggest you ask your supplier but no further. It is their responsibility to give a correct answer.

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