Cross-border tax complexities with the EU cost the UK economy £47.6 billion in lost revenue last year, according to fresh data from the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR).
The stresses of navigating complex regulations post-Brexit continues to hold back growth for UK exporters, with an average revenue loss of 16% on total EU exports in 2021.
With little set to change, the research predicts that the investment loss due to complex tax compliance will cost the UK a further £16.1bn by 2026.
Nina Skero, chief executive at CEBR, said:
"If the EU was part of the domestic market, exporters were set to make just over £300bn in revenue, instead of the £252bn they actually earned."
According to Skero, export activity that did take place came with a higher administrative cost, causing an additional loss of £386 million in gross value added.
She added:
"These firm-level losses are impacting economic growth prospects, preventing an estimated £8.7bn worth of investment which could support GDP by a further £16.1bn in the longer-term.
"This means that if UK businesses were unhindered by EU cross-border tax complexity UK GDP in 2026 could be 0.63 per cent higher."
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