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Call for Dover to be ‘low-duty trading zone’
Hoverspeed has called for a special trading zone to be created in Dover following MEPs voting to remove guidelines on levels of alcohol and tobacco brought back into the UK.
The fast ferry operator says the idea would boost the British economy and create much-needed jobs in the area.
Managing director Geoffrey Ede said: “Every year millions of Britons are attracted to France in search of a bargain thanks to the very low rates of duty levied by the French authorities.
“Brits spend huge amounts of money on a vast range of items like beer, wines, spirits, tobacco, gardening and DIY products and it’s the French government that benefits from that revenue.
“Our government is forever bleating about the lost tax revenues it suffers when people bring these bargains back into the country. I urge the government to be brave and tackle this issue head on by establishing a special trading zone around the port area in Dover. This will allow British shoppers to buy those goods here at low rates of duty equal to what is being levied across the English Channel.
“This is a win-win idea – the public would still pick up a bargain, the British Exchequer rakes in the extra VAT receipts which is currently flowing across the Channel and a huge number of new jobs would be created in the zone to service this new trade.
“Of course, Hoverspeed exists to transport people back and fore across the Channel and we are not advocating putting ourselves out of business. So we would want to insist on a requirement that people would still have to travel with Hoverspeed and other ferry operators to qualify for their bargains bought on home soil.”
Report by Phil Davies
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