UNITED KINGDOM

Universities face £4.6m bill if EU levy is introduced

Scottish universities will be left facing a multimillion pound bill if the United Kingdom government presses ahead with plans to charge a levy to organisations hiring European Union workers following Brexit, writes Chris Green for iNews.

Official statistics show that universities in Scotland employ almost 4,600 staff who are non-UK EU nationals, meaning they would have to pay £4.6 million (US$5.8 million) in tax if plans to charge a levy of £1,000 per worker go ahead.

The idea was floated earlier this month by Immigration Minister Robert Goodwill, who told peers that such a levy may be “helpful” to British workers who felt they were being overlooked in favour of migrants. Although Number 10 later distanced itself from his comments, it has not ruled out the idea of a new levy being placed on firms which employ EU workers following Brexit.
Full report on the iNews site