9 minute read
Big Interview
Revolutionising the ride-hail industry
Ayesha Rees
Established in 2019, UVA UK has positioned itself at the forefront of the technological revolution but is determined never to lose its people-oriented focus.
The company has launched an app-based ride-hailing service that puts people – both the passengers who use it and the drivers who take them on their journeys – first. Designed to compete against the likes of Uber, UVA brings a human dimension to the ride-hailing process. To strengthen in-car and community relations, drivers are required to undertake rigorous training on a range of topics, including customer service, conflict management, the specifics of the areas in which they operate and even political issues such as the Black Lives Matters movement. The idea is to build a level of trust between driver and passenger by offering an unrivalled customer service.
UVA also wants to do its bit to allay some of the safety and reliability concerns that have blighted the industry in recent years. For example, Uber made headlines in 2019 when Transport for London (TfL) rejected its application to operate in London over safety issues, although this licence has subsequently been renewed. Driver standards are monitored and controlled by UVA, and prices are standardised with no extra “surge charging” so passengers know exactly how much their journey will cost in advance. UVA drivers are required to disinfect their cars after each passenger rides in them, and give the vehicles a more thorough clean on a weekly basis. The company has earmarked Wandsworth as a key area to trial its innovation, along with other locations including Islington, Kent, Birmingham and Wolverhampton. Ayesha Rees, CEO of UVA UK, says: “We’re far more than just the next ride-hailing app. As well as making passengers feel safer by rigorously controlling driver standards, we want to make the drivers feel that they’re part of the community, that they have a genuine connection with it. We’re tech-driven but we operate in a local community-driven way. That’s probably the main difference between UVA and apps that offer a similar service; they tend to focus on the technology at the expense of human relations.
“The COVID situation has changed the landscape for now, but eventually people will want to go out and socialise in London again. Corporate customers will still travel across the capital for business meetings to work on joint collaborations with other companies.” Eventually, UVA hopes to roll out its concept in other areas of the UK and branch into overseas markets. It has already launched in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Ayesha’s passion for providing a safe, reliable and easy-to-use service for commuters stems from her own experiences in Malaysia. Asked to go there on a business assignment in a previous role, she was dismayed at drivers’ treatment of females.
“If you were a woman, drivers would say something sexist or deliberately go the wrong way to make more money,” she says. “If you wanted to complain, you could ring the police and that was about it! “With our service we want to create a level of respect and trust between driver and passenger, regardless of background, gender, race or colour.” At UVA, Ayesha is building on a career sprinkled with UK and international management experience. Previously she held sales, leadership and chief operations officer roles with responsibility for delivering multi-million-pound budgets. Her work took her all over the world – but it was often far from glamourous. “After a while I got fed up with seeing the walls of my office or apartment,” she says. “What it did give me was invaluable experience of leading teams in different international cultures. This is something I’m trying to bring to my current role.”
the inside track:
Favourite food? Lebanese Favourite tipple? Italian red Favourite holiday? Valencia Describe your family life?
Hectic! I’m a bonus mum to three children who live with us 50% of the time. We have a dog and my partner and I are planning our wedding … which had to be cancelled due to COVID-19
How do you spend your
downtime? My favourite thing to do is to go to our local pub for Sunday lunch and then stop off at our local wine bar on the way home. We’re so lucky to live in a village that has such a variety of amenities. When the children are with us, we love to bake; I’m teaching them how to make things that they will actually eat…we’re still on desserts!
What are your key strengths
as a manager? Empathy and the ability to take complex issues and distil them into key facts and a way forward And your limitations? I can be
impatient, which as you can imagine has been a challenge in the current climate
Best thing about doing business in the borough?
It was always our intention to start in local boroughs so we can truly support the areas we operate in and become part of the community. We are an international organisation that operates in a hyper-local way
Famous person you’d most like to spend dinner with?
Nelson Mandela
Most interesting fact about
yourself? I have a fascination with World War II. It started when I read a book called The Silver Sword. For my 12th birthday, I went to the cinema to watch Schindler’s List and a few years later I visited Auschwitz. There’s a sign there that says: “those who forget history are bound to repeat it” and that has stuck with me ever since
e-commerce businesses figure out their VAT compliance post Brexit
This pandemic has taught us two things:
the importance of technology and how working together can bring in solutions to world problems faster than anything.
While the coronavirus outbreak raged on, e-commerce businesses showed a boom in their sales. Their remarkable growth is expected to bring in $3,914 trillion globally this year according to some market estimates. Many of the traditional business models were forced to move online and Lanop believes that shift is going to be permanent.
In Great Britain, we not only witnessed the challenges of coronavirus outbreak but also Brexit which has brought about several changes with regards to import and exports of goods and services to and from UK. These changes include the Economic Registration and Identification (EORI) number, commodity codes, customer terms, shipping policy and re-certification of products. We know that e-commerce businesses are impacted by this in a major way - especially their VAT declaration which now needs to be more streamlined than ever. Several of our clients were facing similar issues and Lanop wanted to help the e-commerce businesses who have kept the trade alive in these testing times.
We discuss the key changes below: New VAT rules for e-commerce businesses
If goods are shipped to the UK from outside the UK, businesses will need to collect VAT on orders shipped to the UK below £135. However, VAT liability will be shifted to the platform if it supplies imported goods with a value below £135 to UK customers. Additionally, brands will need to file for and remit VAT to HMRC every quarter while orders above £135 will be subject to duties and import VAT. If goods are shipped from the UK between 1st January 2021 and 30th June 2021, three main changes will take effect. Firstly, buyers will be responsible for paying any applicable import VAT and duties on orders shipping from the UK to the EU. Secondly, merchants will not be required to collect VAT on orders shipped from the UK to the EU. However, custom documents will be required for all shipped orders to the EU.
Registering for VAT
Sellers in the UK may need to register for VAT in each country they are selling to – at least until 1st July 2021 when one stop shop rule will come into effect. Additionally, sellers from EU and other countries will need to register their business for VAT with HMRC provided they ship orders or supply goods below £135 to the UK. An e-commerce client who needed to register for VAT in France remarked: “I was totally
clueless about the VAT registration process in France, but Lanop’s VAT team made the whole process so smooth that I was able to comply with the law there easily!”.
Hence, sellers are advised to review their tax obligations in the EU to determine if they need to set up or maintain VAT registrations in EU countries.
Customs regulations
As a result of the new regulations, sellers will also need to apply for a separate UK and EU EORI number when making custom declarations. The EORI number uniquely identifies the exporter in customs procedures and documentation.
Afterwards, sellers will need to add the EORI code to their customs documents and declare the import VAT liability when clearing goods. Ideally, businesses need to know the commodity codes for each product being sold. For instance, a manufacturing client who exports in EU and employs EU staff stated:
“Lanop Accountants not only assisted us with applying for an EORI number but its payroll department guided us on how to check the status of our EU employees with ease as well”.
It needs to be noted that while the UK uses a standardized six-digit number commodity code, the EU uses the same six-digit number commodity code plus two additional digits. And sellers may end up paying wrong tariffs or even have their goods blocked by customs if they get the code wrong somehow.
Customer terms and shipping policy
Lanop advises businesses to update the customer terms and shipping policy to clarify which party will be responsible for paying any tariffs or import VAT. For this, two popular international commerce terms are used i.e. Delivered Duty Paid (DDP) and Delivered at Place (DAP). Under a DDP, a seller is responsible for any import costs while under a DAP, the seller is only responsible for shipping the product and the customer will have to pay the import costs. However, use of DAP may result in an unpleasant experience for the customers and may lead to delayed or even returned shipments. Hence, it is recommended that businesses take care of filing taxes themselves.
Re-certification of products
Finally, for health and safety reasons, products developed and made in the UK may need to be re-certified for sale in the EU and vice versa. Similarly, some modification may also be required in how manufacturing, labelling or even marketing of the goods is done. Through Lanop’s expert business and tax advisory expertise, businesses can rest assured that they will always stay on the right side of law.
www.lanop.co.uk +44 (0) 20 8392 9375 info@lanop.co.uk
