New HMRC data has shone a light on the difficulties exporting UK businesses have faced over the last three years.
The number of UK businesses exporting goods and products into the EU trading bloc fell by 33% between 2020 and 2021, from 27,000 to 18,000.
Additional red tape as a result of Brexit has been blamed as the primary cause.
Michelle Dale of UHY Hacker Young told City A.M. that: “Businesses are not getting enough support from the Government to navigate the post-Brexit trading minefield.
“A lot of SMEs can’t afford professional advice to cope with Brexit-related red tape. Many are likely to have decided trading with the EU is not worth the cost.
“Fewer UK companies exporting to the EU will result in lost opportunities for growth and expansion in Europe.”
Despite the negative data trend, HMRC has urged caution when comparing data from before January 2021 as the way in which the government collects data has changed.
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