[New] HERTFORDSHIRE GLOBAL

Ihope you all had a good Christmas and are looking forward to a busy and profitable New Year.

Following the Autumn Statement of last November, the British Chamber of Commerce Director General, Shevaun Haviland, commented at the time that the Chancellor had stayed true to his word in focusing on financial stability and targeting support for the most vulnerable in society. But in the teeth of a recession, this statement will not increase business confidence.

Although businesses will welcome support with business rates and the retention of employment allowance the reduction in the dividend allowance will impact many smaller firms. With almost half of all businesses struggling to pay their energy bills once the Government’s Energy Bill Relief Scheme ends on 31 March 2023. The sooner we get clarity on where future support will be targeted the better.

The Chancellor’s Statement is light on green innovation, doesn’t address current labour shortages and has nothing on boosting export led-growth.

These are difficult times and perhaps more to come before the light at the end of the tunnel is seen again, Exporting is a proven method in improving profits and increasing productivity. We are here to help and give advice on exporting to both old and new exporters. With our vast network of Chambers across the world plus access to various experts across the exporting spectrum, do please ask us if you are wishing to export but need assistance.

Completion Of Export Documentation

As you know we issue export documents on behalf of HMRC. We have been advised of several immediate changes in the completion of the forms.

For example;

We can no longer accept handwritten forms.

Certificate of Origin forms must have both the invoice umber and date of the invoice clearly annotated.

Description of goods must be clearly stated.

Please see the completed example CoO form for future use. If you have any queries do please refer to: How to Guides - Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce (hertschamber.com) or alternatively do contact Frances or myself. Going forward we will be obliged to reject any incomplete forms which may lead to delays in your documents being processed.

We are also looking to push more and more documents on to our digital website ecert. Certificate of Origin Online - Home | eCert UK (sgs.com) Currently over 90% of our documentation is processed this way. It is a lot quicker, cuts down on postage and of course is much better for the environment. Any questions on how to use this system do also please contact us.

Alan Bracken

A Fond Farewell

Many of you who deal with export documentation over the years would have been trained by Alan Bracken. Sadly, Alan, after 36 years’ service to the Chamber, has decided to hang up his export hat.

I know that Alan did want a quiet send-off, but we could not let him go with saying both our goodbyes and a huge thanks to Alan’s professionalism, incredible knowledge and expertise, all combined with his patient and understanding way in which he taught the subject. Alan also happily made himself available after the courses to answer any burning questions.

He will be missed going forward and I am sure you will all join in with me to wish Alan a very happy, fulfilled, long and healthy retirement.

Of course, this certainly does not mean the end of training. Our courses will continue, and we have several lined up for this year.

Please refer to our website for more details. How to Guides - Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce International Trade Documentation How to Guides www.hertschamber.com

I have been asked by HMRC to advise the following:

After you’ve registered for VAT, it’s important to let HMRC know if your details change.

You must inform us of any change to your Business Tax Account, within 30 days of the change taking place. If you can’t change your details online, use the VAT484 form to make the change.

LOCAL SKILLS IMPROVEMENT PLAN (LSIP)

The LSIP survey is still up and running for a few more weeks. If you haven’t yet completed this, it only takes a few minutes of your time and is invaluable in helping us to help you in your recruitment plans over the coming years.

The link to the survey can be found on our website:

LSIP - Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce (hertschamber.com)

John Woodruffe

Head of International Trade & Policy

Hertfordshire Chamber of Commerce