International Trade
International Trade Trade advisers help
during the pandemic The Chamber-based team of Department for International Trade (DIT) advisers have stepped in to aid a Birmingham exporter who encountered issues when shipping urgent goods during the Covid-19 crisis. Sonic Communications, a supplier of specialist equipment to police forces and military users, was among a number of exporters requiring urgent assistance when exporting. The firm’s regular contract with the UK’s
National Crime Agency enables them to use a diplomatic courier service at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Hanslope Park base, near Milton Keynes. But with the service restricted to critical
goods due to Covid-19, Sonic had no way of exporting urgent consignments to Ghana and Serbia. Sonic then fell foul of tax inspectors, due to their invoicing arrangement with the NCA. Before the pandemic, Sonic used a system
that allowed them three months between delivery to Hanslope Park before goods became eligible for VAT. The NCA could sell the crime- fighting equipment to other countries without worrying about charging VAT and could budget accordingly. However, the Ghana and Serbian consignments had already been paid for and Sonic had no way of delivering them within the three months allowed. But, following an intervention from the Chamber team, HMRC adapted its policy so Sonic can continue to export their products without being charged 20 per cent VAT. International trade adviser Jane Matty said:
“The team of international trade advisers can help to analyse and combat any potential risk and link companies into a global network of help and support. Demand for products and services continues to grow so the team can help local companies tap into this demand.”
*To find out more about the available support contact:
jane.matty@
mobile.trade.gov.uk
T: 0121 725 8994 E:
ibh@birmingham-chamber.com
‘Lockdown Tour’ connects children around the globe
A Birmingham-based business is partnering up with an English Learning Centre in Morocco to connect children around the world via a new project. The ‘World Lockdown Tour’ will be the first of
its kind, connecting children via an online video platform to celebrate and share cultures, languages, traditions and stories from different continents. Little Speakers Club says that children
involved in the project will gain public speaking skills and improve their English while sharing their lockdown stories with their peers. Former science teacher Syeda Shah – better
known as Syd – is behind the project, which is run by her company, Femtinos.
‘The perfect opportunity to explore a global project that nurtures and feeds’
She said: “Over the years I realised the
children were learning all this amazing information but did not have the skills to effectively share the information with others. “Little Speakers Club was born – a public
speaking course for children aged five to 14 years old to empower, build confidence and public speaking skills. If I had the opportunity to build these skills as a young child, I would have gotten a lot further on in life.” Syd has launched the ‘World Lockdown Tour’
project in partnership with The English Corner, a learning centre for adults and children based in the small industrial city of Yousaffia, in Morocco. The intention is to livestream the content
delivered by the children. Syd said: “With many children still not able to meet friends or go to
Docs teams workload on the up
As Government lockdown restrictions eased last month, businesses in the West Midlands have begun the long march back to normality. Evidence of this has been seen at the Chamber’s documentation team, who in June handled
80 per cent of their normal workload. This compared to just 50 per cent of normal workload in the previous month. The figures tally with various other reports about business activity, which suggest that while things are picking up, the effect of the Covid-19 will be long lasting. In one report, accountancy giant KPMG is forecasting that the local economy will shrink by
more than nine per cent this year. KPMG is warning that even if a deal is reached with the EU that includes no tariffs on export goods, ‘some additional trade friction may be unavoidable due to the need for customs and other inspections’. Dave Harris, the Chamber’s documentation manager, says firms need to ensure that they are
ready to comply with the new export/import regime that will come into operation next year. He said: “From 1 Jan 2021 firms will need to make customs declarations for imports and exports
to the EU. They will need to understand things such as Incoterms, Harmonised System (HS) Tariff codes and carnets, which cover the temporary export of goods. Businesses should ensure they check with export documentation experts, such as those at the Chamber, to ensure compliance.”
30 CHAMBERLINK August/September 2020
Syeda Shah: Connecting children around the world
school, I want them to feel connected while continuing to develop skills and learning.” Syd, who has an MSci in Theoretical Physics
and Applied Mathematics from the University of Birmingham and a PGDipEd from the King Edward’s Consortium, has worked at some of the top private, state and grammar schools around the West Midlands. She founded Inquisitive Explorers Ltd (trading
as Femtinos) in 2010, with the aim of encouraging a love of learning, by delivering hands-on and interactive workshops based on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) in order to inspire and creating curiosity. Syd has made appearances on TV as well as
running her own radio show, ‘Science with Syd’, regularly reaching audiences of up to 20,000 both locally and nationally.
Using social media to
promote awareness The Chamber’s international team has begun to promote awareness of doing business abroad and also showcasing virtual events and conferences via Instagram, the American-owned photo and video sharing service which claims to have around one-billion users worldwide. The social media channel will be used to
support Chamber members who are looking to tap into overseas markets. International business manager Stef Bowes
said: “By joining one of the biggest social media platforms we hope to support the interests of everyone involved in importing, exporting and International trade.”
To join the service, please follow @inthubchamber_gbcc
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