Common sense on UK backdated port rates

- The British International Freight Association (BIFA) has welcomed the UK’s announcement that it will give ‘high priority’ to the scrapping the backdated port rates bills.

According to reports in the national media, Conservative spokesman Lord Bates, the former shadow local government minister, has indicated that scrapping the bills would be a key priority of the new coalition government.

According to BIFA Director General, Peter Quantrill, the move signals a welcome break for Britain’s hard-pressed international freight sector.

“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,” said Quantrill.

“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.

Source: Container Management