Oliver Smith
BBC Business Reporter
Volt
Lyle and James Metcalfe direct the Volt electric bicycle company and have a Milton Keynes factory
A government decision to remove prices on Chinese electric bikes entering the United Kingdom has been described as a “kick in the teeth for British manufacturing”.
Border taxes were imposed on Chinese electric bikes after Brexit, keeping the United Kingdom according to the EU, but the business secretary Jonathan Reynolds accepted a recommendation to lift them on electric bikes unwilling on Friday.
Trade Remedies Authority, the organization responsible for examining the prices, said that this decision granting cheaper Chinese imports could allow consumers of £ 200.
But companies based in the United Kingdom have called the “strange” decision saying that it is a hard blow at a “very scary moment” for industry.
British electric bicycle companies have expressed concerns about the impact of a “flood” of cheap bicycle bikes entering the United Kingdom.
James Metcalfe and his brother Lyle direct the Volt electric bicycle company and have a Milton Keynes factory.
They previously manufactured their bikes in China, before moving operations in a factory to Poland, then moving manufacturing to the United Kingdom after Brexit.
“I think it’s a strange decision and a kick in the teeth for British manufacturing,” Metcalfe told BBC.
“We have brought our manufacture here with insurance that it (prices on Chinese bikes) was a long -term change. We have invested a lot. We are a small business, a family and trying to do the right thing by Build a quality product, “he said.
The United Kingdom was already a very competitive price market for bikes, without having to bring cheaper bikes from China, he added.
“What is the advantage? I do not see it. The government says that there will be savings for the British consumer, but for years we have been pushing the government to achieve alternative savings such as subsidies and subsidies for customers. “
“Why not do what everyone has done through Europe? Offering subsidies and investing in bicycle infrastructure in the United Kingdom,” he added.
Metcalfe also asked why the prices for the folding of China’s electric bikes remained in place.
“I am everything to protect the whole industry and I find it strange that they protect a small part from it,” he said.
Thursday, the government said that it had accepted a recommendation from the remedy trade authority to revoke the anti -dumping prices on Chinese electric bikes between 10.3% and 70.1%, and taxes designed to counter the grants of subsidies 3.9% to 17.2%.
A government spokesperson said: “The defense of British industry against unfair competition is important, which is why we have made the decision to continue to protect producers of folding electric bikes in the United Kingdom based in the kingdom -Uni, while reducing prices for consumers and importers of other products.
The spokesman added that the government “continued to take measures on dangerous electric bikes” and had recently launched a campaign “to raise awareness of the risk of dangerous batteries and scooters”.
“A frightening time for industry”
The British bicycle industry endured a few difficult years following a boom during the Covid pandemic, which experienced an increase in outdoor exercise and many people choosing the bicycle on public transport.
Post-comfortable sales have dropped spectacularly and many companies found themselves with stocks that they had difficulty changing. A certain number of companies have had trouble, including the mountain bikes Mercian and Orange, or have gone bankrupt, like Islabikes.
David MIALL, who runs the WISPER BIKES electric bicycle company, said British companies have strongly repressed in recent years to try to attract new customers.
He said that the latest government’s decision, which he described as a “very strange decision”, would bring a “flood” of cheaper Chinese imports on an already exceeded market.
“It’s a very scary moment for industry at the moment, and it will cause many problems to many companies,” he said.
David’s company designs its bikes in the United Kingdom, but makes them in Taiwan and Portugal.
He said he had already been contacted by Chinese bicycle manufacturers offering very low prices to their products.
“They have also been overhauled, and they now see the United Kingdom as a place to empty their bikes,” he said, adding that he could now consider concentrating only on electric bikes.
“I think the government thinks” let’s give E-Bikes a boost “, but it has been seriously thought out by people who do not understand industry,” he said.
The bicycle association, which represents companies that make and sell standard and fold bikes, said it helped its members respond to the new rules.
“This is an important decision and this can take some time for the implications for the British cycle industry and its supply chains to become clear,” said a spokesperson.
“We have, for example, an official clarification already requested from the definition specifies that HMRC will use to identify the” electric bikes “, which are always subject to these measures.”
What is an electric bike?
Electric bikes – or “bikes” – are an increasingly popular way to move for hundreds of thousands of people in the United Kingdom.
The “electric bike” is commonly used for any electric propulsion bike, but it can in fact refer to very different types of equipment which are covered by different laws.
When most people think of an electric bike, they imagine what is essentially a normal thrust bike with a small engine responsible for adaptation to facilitate the transformation of the pedals.
But there are also much more powerful electric bikes on the market which are sometimes grouped together with electric bikes – for example, some models can reach 60 MPH and are designed for off -road driving on damaged land.
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