Possible Silver Lining in Reeves Budget

Despite the fact that yesterday’s budget effectively raised taxes, it also possibly provided an opportunity for profit for more foresighted freight transport operators. In the budget, the chancellor confirmed that the government will remove the customs duty relief on goods imported into the UK valued at under £135 (It should be noted that this is due to happen in March 2026, and that the government has launched a public consultation on the proposals, which itself runs until 6 March 2026.).

In an article about the possible effects of the Budget on the logistics sector by Caroline Peachey (on logisticsmanager.com on 26 November), she interviews Claire Williams, partner, Head of UK & European Industrial Research at Knight Frank who said the move creates “… a strategic window of opportunity for the logistics sector.” Ms Williams goes on to add: “The demise of de minimis threshold won’t just raise revenues, it will reroute supply chains through Britain’s warehouses and act as a catalyst for expansion of onshore fulfilment and logistics networks.”

Therefore, as we read it here at Deltion, this move should provide opportunities for remodelling supply chains to become more effective, which in turn will require operators to have IT systems that can accommodate the changes, transparency and visibility required. A modern SaaS-based TMS such as CarrierNet will be able to deliver this; in fact, it should already be an integral TMS in the supply chain of any large, or indeed SME-sized, operation. 

A further benefit of using a fit-for-purpose TMS (and other tools) to deliver greater operational efficiencies is that the impact of the reintroduction in the Budget of the full fuel duty in August 2026 can be minimised. A savvy operator employing such a TMS will be able to operate on a much more cost effective and flexible level to their competitors. If you’d like an idea of how this works, please contact bashir.khan@deltion.co.uk.

#freightmanagement #CarrierNet #budget2025