Government has been quiet over important issue of duty-free goods

IN all the speculation about the benefits, or otherwise, of Great Britain’s exit from the EU, one little nugget seems to have been missed.

After January 1, visitors from the Republic of Ireland to GB will be entitled to buy goods there duty-free.

Similarly, travellers from GB to any EU country — including, of course, the Irish Republic — will enjoy the same perk. But that duty-free border may not be open to people here.

Duty-free may seem like a small benefit, but we should bear in mind that, over the next few years, the Government will introduce swingeing increases in taxes and duty in order to repay the massive loans it took out because of the Covid crisis.

Any reduction in the price of luxury goods that make life a little easier will be welcome. To borrow the slogan of a well-known supermarket, “Every little helps”.

But will this little boon be on tap for the good folk of Northern Ireland? Probably not, because we are neither fish nor fowl. We are half-in and halfout of both the UK and the EU.

Who knows, perhaps visitors from the Republic will be able to shop here duty-free? It’s possible that a little sub-section somewhere in Bojo’s 1,200-page epistle to the British people will deny all his citizens access to duty-free shopping in the EU, but that would flout established convention.

The holding of an Irish passport by people in Northern Ireland won’t help either, because the inclusion of a British postcode will be the giveaway.

Perhaps one of our MPS could raise this matter? But don’t hold your breath for a satisfactory response from the Government. JOHN GILMORE

Belfast