Brexit Rant...

[TobyAnscombe]

Gahh!!!!!!

I just ordered my daughter a new helmet as she took a spill on her bike while out mountain biking in the forest. Cheapest was Holland Bike Shop which worked out to be about £142 plus shipping... back of my mind was "thats under £150 so it will be fine.."


Just been landed with a £45 tax and bloody vat bill to get it delivered. Guess that all the usual distributers (bikeshop.de etc) that I used to use will be the same....

 

[Deleted member 16246]

Struggling to imagine how a piece of blown polystyrene, with a plastic shell and some straps, likely all made in China for twopence happeny, comes out at anything like £142 in the first place.

Looking on ebay there is a huge range of helmets for sale at sub £45 delivered.

And By the way - it has been well known for nine months at least that buying from European sellers will involve import duties and collection charges for products over a small amount. There is a thriving bike support industry in this country you could have bought from.

BREXIT was a decision made by the majority of the British People in the biggest democratic vote we ever held. Spend your money here and support our own domestic businesses.

 

[vfr400]

Gahh!!!!!!

I just ordered my daughter a new helmet as she took a spill on her bike while out mountain biking in the forest. Cheapest was Holland Bike Shop which worked out to be about £142 plus shipping... back of my mind was "thats under £150 so it will be fine.."


Just been landed with a £45 tax and bloody vat bill to get it delivered. Guess that all the usual distributers (bikeshop.de etc) that I used to use will be the same....

Aldi snowboarding helmets cost about a tenner and offer much more protection than whatever you bought.

 

[Woosh]

the main problem with selling/buying transactions with the EU is not so much the costs.
Transport and VAT are easily sorted. Documentation is the main problem.
Most of the goods are manufactured abroard, in principle, we have to claim import duty and VAT paid to HMRC on each item and pay the EU import duty and VAT to the authorities where the customers live.
The problem happens when customers need to return something for replacement, such as a battery for example.
The paperwork is then three times more complicated to sort out than the sale in the first place. I will have to produce supportive paper trail, copy of export documentation including proof of payment of VAT, proof of receipt and satisfy rules of origin. A bike assembled in the UK may be accepted as UK originated but not necessarily the battery which was wholly made in China.

 

[jimriley]

Pass the bill to any mates or family who voted brexit. Why should you pay for their whims.

 

[Deleted member 16246]

Aldi snowboarding helmets cost about a tenner and offer much more protection than whatever you bought.

I went to their website and they don't have those snow boarding helmets now. Pity. I wanted one when I read your post. I need a new helmet, mine is about fifteen years old. There are stacks of very sound looking helmets on Amazon though and they come it mostly at between £20 and £40.

 

[Deleted member 16246]

Pass the bill to any mates or family who voted brexit. Why should you pay for their whims.

"Whims"??? Not much respect for democracy with you then Jim - eh?

I like it better when the politicians who make the laws I have to obey are chosen by the British People and when they fail to do what we want, or when they are incompetent, we can throw them out.

Never could do that with the EU. ALL their laws and there were plenty, were made in the European Commission and rubber stamped by a ridiculous EU parliament which ups sticks and moves every month between Belgium and France, just to massage French pride and arrogance. I could not be happier that we are out of that charade and the more out of it the better. If I was Boris, I would tell those absolute tw*ts who are insisting on health checks on sausages going to NI, to sling their hook. NI is British territory while the population want it to remain so. We won't be putting up a border in Ireland. If the EU insist on it, to keep 'diseased; British sausages out of Marks and Sparks in Belfast, that's up to them.

 

[jimriley]

Struggling to imagine how a piece of blown polystyrene, with a plastic shell and some straps, likely all made in China for twopence happeny, comes out at anything like £142 in the first place.

Looking on ebay there is a huge range of helmets for sale at sub £45 delivered.

And By the way - it has been well known for nine months at least that buying from European sellers will involve import duties and collection charges for products over a small amount. There is a thriving bike support industry in this country you could have bought from.

BREXIT was a decision made by the majority of the British People in the biggest democratic vote we ever held. Spend your money here and support our own domestic businesses.

Another brexit lie surfaces. They just can't help it. More people voted in the 1992 general election than the 2016 EU referendum, so no, it wasn't the biggest democratic vote ever held. Awaits whining tone "but that's not what I meant". Like the Battlebus 350m.

 

[jimriley]

"Whims"??? Not much respect for democracy with you then Jim - eh?

I like it better when the politicians who make the laws I have to obey are chosen by the British People and when they fail to do what we want, or when they are incompetent, we can throw them out.

Never could do that with the EU. ALL their laws and there were plenty, were made in the European Commission and rubber stamped by a ridiculous EU parliament which ups sticks and moves every month between Belgium and France, just to massage French pride and arrogance. I could not be happier that we are out of that charade and the more out of it the better. If I was Boris, I would tell those absolute tw*ts who are insisting on health checks on sausages going to NI, to sling their hook. NI is British territory while the population want it to remain so. We won't be putting up a border in Ireland. If the EU insist on it, to keep 'diseased; British sausages out of Marks and Sparks in Belfast, that's up to them.

Having been part of the rule making for countries outside the EU, we knew exactly what the position would be on the outside. We also agreed to the GFA. No use crying now, Boris smashed your milk bottle. Maybe 10 years and NI be back where it belongs, by the will of the people.

 

[richtea99]

If I was Boris, I would tell those absolute tw*ts who are insisting on health checks on sausages going to NI, to sling their hook. NI is British territory while the population want it to remain so. We won't be putting up a border in Ireland. If the EU insist on it, to keep 'diseased; British sausages out of Marks and Sparks in Belfast, that's up to them.

It's been well understood* for a couple of years that Britain couldn't leave Europe and still satisfy the Good Friday Agreement without also adding an Irish Sea border. This is a direct result of Brexit which I presume you voted for. I believe the sweet sweet phrase that applies here is:
- Suck it up


* snippet:
> He [Corbyn] called the paper "hard evidence" NI would be "symbolically separated" from the rest of the UK after Brexit, with customs checks on goods.
Mr Johnson has repeatedly said there will be no border in the Irish Sea.
He dismissed Labour's claims as "complete nonsense".

 

[Deleted member 16246]

It's been well understood* for a couple of years that Britain couldn't leave Europe and still satisfy the Good Friday Agreement without also adding an Irish Sea border. This is a direct result of Brexit which I presume you voted for. I believe the sweet sweet phrase that applies here is:
- Suck it up


* snippet:
> He [Corbyn] called the paper "hard evidence" NI would be "symbolically separated" from the rest of the UK after Brexit, with customs checks on goods.
Mr Johnson has repeatedly said there will be no border in the Irish Sea.
He dismissed Labour's claims as "complete nonsense".

No - it is nothing to do with the UK installing a border in Ireland. Not at all. We won't do that.

The issue is EU stupid intransigence on saying that if the UK is not in the EU, THEY WILL HAVE TO INSTALL A BORDER.

Well, I ask this. Why?

The answer is their own bloody minded stupidity.

By the way - you clearly have never read the Northern Ireland Agreement. I have. It is all about normalising relations between the UK and Ireland. It isn't about borders, not that we in the UK want one anyway.

 

[richtea99]

If you can't agree trade rules, then you get borders. We (well someone here) voted to leave a trading area, therefore we have to re-erect a border. There is no choice.

Long term ways to avoid it:
1. Create a fresh NI-Eire only trade agreement. That's possible, but expect the 'divorced' party - the EU - to extract maximum benefit for themselves. After all, that's what Boris would do, right? You can't argue with that logic.
2. Another way is to re-join the EU. Unlikely for a generation or two.

I haven't read the Northen Ireland Agreement, you're right - fair cop! However, I understand that it exists to share power, and in order to do that you really need to avoid borders (i.e. differences) as much as possible.
Hence the dichotomy that Brexit voters created for NI.
To which I say to Brexit voters - stop whinging and suck it up.

 

[Woosh]

By the way - you clearly have never read the Northern Ireland Agreement.

Did you mean The 'Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community' or The 'Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland'?
The latter is part of the former.
We signed up to the withdrawal agreement and Parliament approved it, so by our own law, we have to implement the 'Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland'.
The NI protocol implements EU Single Market rules in NI. Economically speaking, NI is part of the EU.
There is also deal on Gibraltar which basically makes Gibraltar part of Schengen countries and also the EU Single Market.

Channel Islands:

QUOTE:
Whilst neither Guernsey nor Jersey is a member of the EU, some aspects of EU legislation are adopted by the Channel Islands in compliance with the bilateral agreements in place between Guernsey and Jersey and member states of the EU, including for example a number of tax information exchange agreements with Member States. In addition, Guernsey and Jersey are able to market financial services into the EU because those services currently meet the stipulations imposed by the EU. This should not change by virtue of the UK leaving the EU.

 

[richtea99]

The NI protocol implements EU Single Market rules in NI. Economically speaking, NI is part of the EU.

Spot on. Hence why the Irish Sea border is required.

You've got to put it somewhere, and a border in the sea is much safer than a land border. Also a land border would bust the ideals around the Belfast Agreement (and which I erroneously named the Northern Ireland Agreement. Keep up everyone. )

 

[Zlatan]

Gahh!!!!!!

I just ordered my daughter a new helmet as she took a spill on her bike while out mountain biking in the forest. Cheapest was Holland Bike Shop which worked out to be about £142 plus shipping... back of my mind was "thats under £150 so it will be fine.."


Just been landed with a £45 tax and bloody vat bill to get it delivered. Guess that all the usual distributers (bikeshop.de etc) that I used to use will be the same....

It shouldn't work out (much) dearer..???
I, ve brought a few things in from Slovenia. Now and pre Brexit.
The supplier shouldn't charge Vat at source but then your carrier via customs puts on the correct Vat and import charge.
My stuff worked out 2% dearer... Supplier knocked off 20%...customs added 20(vat) plus 2 ( import tax)
Trouble is suppliers see a way of proffiting. They pocket the vat... You end up paying vat on vat plus import.
Check with your supplier at source before ordering. Many EU countries are now having to show 2 price lists. One for EU... One for UK...??? (I, ve only experience of windsurf and diving stuff tho)
And found a massive problem. Wetsuits get 2% import.. OK with that. Wet suit boots are safety equipment and attract 22%...so don't buy wet suit boots from abroad. And check on. Gov site for what import tax will (should) be.. Given half a chance they will all make as much cash as poss... Then blame Brexit.
Folk will willingly pay an extra 2%...irrelevant...22% and they will go elsewhere.

 

[Deleted member 16246]

The term Northern Ireland Agreement means the Belfast Agreement, signed on Good Friday 1998. This agreement is mentioned whenever the question of a border in Ireland is brought up - for example by Biden this week. It is though not about borders, but about the normalisation of relations between the states of the United Kingdom and the Irish Republic.

Often people misrepresent what it says and focus on borders, when to the best of my knowledge, having once upon a time read the text if it, it does not focus on that at all, but instead, deals with improving relationships between north and south and removing military installations.

However - as I said before, the UK will not install military or regulatory border structures along the Irish Border in any foreseeable circumstance. The ridiculous charades of checking sausages and having veterinary certificates to bring a pie from Scotland to Northern Ireland are a punitive move by the EU to punish the UK for leaving their clapped out cr@pfest. This was forced into law by the traitor parliament of 2019 before the British People once again showed what they wanted by giving the current government a majority of 80 seats.

We should rescind the agreements forced upon the country then. We can do what we like.

 

[Woosh]

We should rescind the agreements forced upon the country then. We can do what we like.

That's true, but will we do such a thing? We need to trade with the EU, they are our biggest market. Since the first of January this year, I can't send bikes to France, Spain, Portugal, ROI, kits to a lot more countries. It does not matter much until now because I am short of bikes but looking for the future, I'll be forced to have some alternative shop in the EU.

 

[slowcoach]

So we can not send sausages to NI, but I notice supermarkets here are selling beef from Eire.

 

[Deleted member 16246]

Did you mean The 'Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community' or The 'Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland'?
The latter is part of the former.
We signed up to the withdrawal agreement and Parliament approved it, so by our own law, we have to implement the 'Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland'.
The NI protocol implements EU Single Market rules in NI. Economically speaking, NI is part of the EU.
There is also deal on Gibraltar which basically makes Gibraltar part of Schengen countries and also the EU Single Market.

Channel Islands:

QUOTE:
Whilst neither Guernsey nor Jersey is a member of the EU, some aspects of EU legislation are adopted by the Channel Islands in compliance with the bilateral agreements in place between Guernsey and Jersey and member states of the EU, including for example a number of tax information exchange agreements with Member States. In addition, Guernsey and Jersey are able to market financial services into the EU because those services currently meet the stipulations imposed by the EU. This should not change by virtue of the UK leaving the EU.

Google 'Northern Ireland Agreement and see what comes up.

You will find the term refers to The Belfast Agreement.

Here its entire text:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/136652/agreement.pdf

You will find that the term border arises ten times and ALL mentions are about cross border cooperation. NONE of them demand the removal of an actual border. They can not therefore be invoked to force the UK not to send sausages, pies and sandwiches from Liverpool to Belfast.

The Americans and the EU have falsely badgered the treacherous 2019 UK Parliament into agreeing these ridiculous inspection arrangements and trade barriers between one part of the UK and another part of the UK.

 

[Deleted member 16246]

So we can not send sausages to NI, but I notice supermarkets here are selling beef from Eire.

Well it has never been the UK that wanted to interfere with trade between the UK and the EU.