Not only could the deal, or no deal as the case still may be, impact the individuals who need to travel the globe for business purposes, the employer or company could also be impacted significantly. Income tax, immigration, employment law – all these issues must be considered to ensure that we continue to reap the benefits of our global economy, encourage our UK businesses to grow and welcome inward investment to the UK to continue.
Employees and business people travel the world making deals and meeting new clients. We see many EU citizens coming to the UK, and many non-EU citizens travelling into the UK as part of their European business plans. The UK currently has in place double taxation agreements, short term business visitor arrangements and other mechanisms in order to assist in ensuring the individual and if relevant, their employer, are compliant from a UK income tax and social security perspective. As part of these negotiations, many if not all of these will likely need to be re-evaluated, depending on the “deal” that eventually comes to pass and given the complexities involved, this could take quite some time. What does this mean in the interim period for short term business visitors to the UK? Only time will tell, but these questions cannot be left unanswered for too long.
The UK cannot afford to lose out on inward investment and the only way to encourage this is to be open to business leaders from across the EU and the rest of the world coming to the UK without a restrictive administrative burden on them and their companies.
This is our opportunity to show that the UK is open for business and to show that we are actively encouraging businesses to visit the UK and see what we can offer in terms of an investment and growth opportunities. On the positive side of Brexit, this is our opportunity to show not only the EU, but the rest of the world that the opportunities in the UK are significant and we truly are a world leading country in respect of business and opportunities.
Short term business visitors to the UK continue to be a “hot topic” for HMRC and so we must hope that through these negotiations, we can encourage an arrangement for business travellers throughout the current European Union and beyond to continue to visit our shores with agreements that work for all.
activpayroll would be delighted to discuss your requirements in relation to short term business visitors to the UK, and with the introduction of our new automated online STBV solution we are excellently placed to assist your organisation manage this population effectively, efficiently and most importantly, compliantly.
Please contact global.mobility@activpayroll.com for more information.