Trader Support Service Extended to 2023

Anybody moving goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland will be pleased to know that a business support scheme called the Trader Support Scheme will continue to run for a longer period, extended currently until December 2023.

A Welcome Extension

The Trader Support Scheme was launched in 2020 to help businesses navigate the then new changes to the way that goods were moved out of the country under the Northern Ireland Protocol. Since the service was first created, more than 47,000 businesses have signed up for it.

The digital platform is free to use, and has been designed to help traders and businesses of all sizes trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland in a seamless way. Without the support of the platform, many businesses would not know how to trade under the new rules of the Northern Ireland protocol.

The service has been designed to be comprehensive. It offers end-to-end support to help manage digital declarations. This includes completing security, import, and safety declarations on behalf of various traders.

One of the primary functions of the service is to offer businesses access to guidance and training resources that help them understand what the protocol does to their business. Using the software, traders are able to complete their declarations without having to purchase any advanced software to do so. This is a big help, because it can save them a lot of time and money.

Extended For Ongoing Support

Thankfully, the government is committed to providing a support package to traders throughout 2023. This will enable them to continue meeting all the requirements necessary for moving the goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Furthermore, the government has announced that it will continue to tailor the support that the service offers to make sure that it meets any new updates made to the Northern Ireland protocol.

Naturally, this is fantastic news, because it allows traders to easily complete all of the necessary requirements for moving goods without any of the hassle. Having to acquire specialist software for the sake of completing declarations and trade in goods costs time and money, which can hinder a business quite significantly. Continuing the support is most likely a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated economic impacts.

The government clearly wishes to encourage as much training as possible to help rebuild the economy, which is why it is prepared to allow access to the service throughout 2023, and will close the service down in December. However, there is also every chance that it will be extended once again if the need arises.

Any business which is moving between Great Britain and Ireland, for the sake of trading is allowed to sign up to the service and receive free training, materials and courses designed to help them fulfil their requirements when trading. The service is easy to access, and helps save businesses a lot of time and effort.

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