The Fulfilment House Due Diligence Scheme is the new weapon in the war on tax avoidance and firms may not realise their logistics and warehousing business is at risk, according to Gotelee Solicitors.
A government-commissioned report identifies an estimated £1.5 billion black hole in the tax system due to, it says, goods sold through online platforms. Businesses based on the Amazon/Ebay model use online platforms to sell goods imported from outside the EU.
They are stored here prior to being delivered. Often the goods are stored in warehouses operated by third party logistics providers who pick, pack and despatch the goods. These are fulfilment houses.HMRC has trained its sights on such third party providers.
New legislation will ensure that they can be held to account for under-declaration of due duty. HMRC says under declaration is symptomatic of the e-commerce retail system, where savings of a few pence can mean the difference between success and failure in a crowded online marketplace. UK based retailers find it hard to compete with the prices on offer from virtual storefronts who often sell without paying VAT or import duty. So tackling this issue is welcome news for UK retailers.
HMRC cannot focus its resources outside of the EU (principally in China) where the vast majority of consumer goods come from. Instead, those who facilitate the supply and distribution will be held to account. So those businesses that provide a fulfilment service or stores goods from outside the EU on behalf of others, may need to rethink their entire business model.
Warehousing and logistics providers who operate a fulfilment house business will be required by law to apply to register. They will need to prove they are “fit and proper”; demonstrate they can identify the origins of their clients; and identify a VAT representative. They will need to carry out due diligence checks on the suppliers involved and ensure that the goods match up with the import paperwork. Failure to comply can result in civil and criminal penalties, including up to 7 years of imprisonment. Registration for the scheme must be completed prior to D-Day in April 2019.
“There is a sea change coming for all businesses operating in e-commerce fulfilment. Ignoring the effect of this new scheme is not an option for any business that wants to trade within the law”, says Steve Brown an importation and e-commerce adviser at Gotelee. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it