The British International Freight Association has welcomed indications from Conservative spokesman Lord Bates that the government will give a high priority to scrapping the backdated port rates bills.
BIFA Director General, Peter Quantrill said “The fact that the new government has pledged to make scrapping this iniquitous demand a high priority means that Westminster has removed the sword of Damocles from some businesses at Britain’s ports and allows them to concentrate on what they want them to do – facilitate Britain’s import and export freight movements.
“These backdated demands threatened businesses in the UK’s ports with retrospective rates bills totalling millions of pounds. Several companies have failed after being presented with these draconian costs and others faced seven-figure sums that threatened to put them out of business.
“This move is a welcome break for some BIFA members and others in the freight sector working tirelessly to bring goods to the UK and take our valuable exports worldwide. As the leading trade association for UK freight forwarders, we are non-political but that does not mean we hold back from praising the government, of any hue, when it works to support the facilitation of international trade.”
