Addressing the Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure & Reform and Taoiseach last month, Brian Keegan, Director of Public Policy and Taxation at Chartered Accountants Ireland has warned that the introduction of Customs controls between Ireland and the UK is now all but inevitable, and that our European partners will insist on complete and rigorous controls over goods traded between here and the UK, and further afield. Brian was giving evidence alongside Revenue Chairman Niall Cody and Carol Lynch, Customs Partner in Institute member firm BDO.

In his evidence, Brian focussed on the difficulties which many smaller Irish exporters and importers will face for the first time post Brexit. “The real challenge is to facilitate Customs administration for the many businesses exclusively importing from or exporting to the UK which have to deal with Customs obligations for the first time. For them, this is tantamount to the introduction of a new tax.”