Trade outside the EU won’t come cheap

SIR – In presenting “Six reasons why post-Brexit Britain can be like others that thrive outside the single market” (Business, September 12), Roger Bootle says that “tariffs might be a price worth paying”. In doing so he ignores the significance of non-tariff barriers.

It may be true that “even the 10 per cent tariff on cars would be more than compensated by the lower exchange rate for the pound”. However, that overlooks the considerable non-tariff barriers which we would face, such as costly compliance with “rules-of-origin” requirements, in an industry with pan-European supply chains – something Japan specifically highlighted as a concern for the automotive industry in its letter presented at the G20 summit.

HM Treasury found that “estimates for the size of non-tariff barriers indicate they are at least as important as tariffs, and in advanced economies often on average add two or three times as much to the cost of traded goods as tariffs”.

That significantly changes the costbenefit assessment, supporting the view that we ought to maintain a very strong relationship with the EU. Richard Tutin Bristol SIR – I do not understand the furore over Brexit. A plan of action can be summarised in a few paragraphs.

All EU legislation is also already Britain legislation, other than that currently going through Parliament. It stands unless repealed.

We withdraw all MEPs immediately and stop paying for EU central costs. Single market trade continues unless countries within the EU decide they want it to stop. The rules on migration into Britain from EU countries are immediately supplanted by those applying to migrants from the rest of the world. All working EU nationals are allowed to stay. After five years’ residence, they must apply for citizenship. Only those accepted will be allowed to stay further.

Britain resumes control of agricultural subsidies, research funding and fisheries.

Finally, Britain continues to support ongoing projects in EU countries which are net beneficiaries of EU funds for two years, during which time we negotiate how to refinance such projects.

There it is – and in less than a page of A4. John Atkins Cuxham, Oxfordshire