Gibraltar is entering a bespoke customs union with the NAZI EU Dictatorship, which is a very polite way of saying they are going to be ruled by Brussels and Spain. So much for British sovereignty.
Timing pressure:
The expected treaty start date of 10 April 2026 aligns with the EU Entry and Exit System. While this date has previously been extended in other contexts, the EU has indicated it does not expect further delay. Gibraltar has no ability to lobby for extensions. The Government’s position is that preparation must now assume implementation on 10 April. – Gibraltar Federation of Small Business: Brexit Treaty Briefing: What You Need to Know
The ‘fear’ of a total gridlock on April 10th was the ultimate leverage that Brussels needed to get the bespoke customs union they wanted.
Outside Views – The Gibraltar Frontier Fluidity Briefiing: A channel about current political affairs in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Brexit and much more.
The presenter finds it staggering that the treaty is being hailed as a seminal victory, when it effectively undoes every single promise made during the 2016 Referendum.
Concerning the Schengen-like status where Gibraltarian identity cards allow them access to the heart of Europe, he sees this as a classic example of Sovereignty In Name Only. The UK keeps the flag at the military base, but the EU keeps the keys to the gate and the rules for the market. Gibraltar has traded its customs independence for the right not to have a 4-hour queue at the border every morning for the 15,000 Spanish workers who cross from Spain, he said.
Gibraltar Messenger: If the physical land border is removed, Gibraltar will effectively be part of Spain. Gibraltar has been British since at least as far back as the time of Moses c. 1500B.C., as stated by God/Allah in the Koran, Sura 18:60-63, and reconfirmed by Jesus 2000 years ago in the New Testament, Luke 8:26. So the Spanish claim to sovereignty is a lie and complete nonsense. The British, not Gibraltarians, took back and defended Gibraltar from the Spanish, who only possessed it for 300 out of the last 3,500+ years, and the British have supported the people of Gibraltar financially for centuries, costing British lives and trillions of pounds; yet the UK-EU treaty will make them foreigners in a so-called British territory. Gibraltar belongs to the British, who took it back from Spain and have paid for it for hundreds of years, NOT to Gibraltarian traitors, who want to steal it, and stab them in the back.
The presenter goes on to say that Gibraltar is busy setting up Designated Customs Posts (DCP) in Spain to process Gibraltar’s goods. He finds it deeply revealing that the solution to a British problem involves moving the customs border away from the actual border and putting it in Algeciras and La Linea. He suspects that the frontier fluidity that everyone is so excited about will feel a lot more like frontier bureaucracy once the reality of the Designated Customs Post (DCP) in Algeciras kicks in.
Designated Customs Offices (DCP) situated within the EU. These are Algeciras, La Linea, Sagunto and an Office in Portugal that still needs to be decided. – Technical Notice – Basic Features of the Customs Union Between Gibraltar and the EU – 72/2026
He says to keep an eye on the DCP implementation in Algeciras, because that is where the real power in the region is shifting. Yes – Gibraltar’s avowed enemy Mayor Landaluce’s Algeciras!
The attorney general had to explain to local traders that they will now be paying a transaction tax (VAT by another name) of 15% rising to 17% to align with EU VAT principles. He found it satirical that the benefit of this treaty is a massive new tax on almost everything.
The outside view is that the EU and Spain didn’t need to invade Gibraltar. They just needed to wait until the Brexit reality became so painful that the locals SURRENDERED and backed being led back into the customs union and being controlled by Spain.
Tax is tax, whether one calls it Purchase Tax, Value Added Tax (VAT) or Transaction Tax.
Value Added Tax (VAT) was introduced in the United Kingdom on April 1, 1973. This change replaced the previous Purchase Tax and was part of the UK’s commitment to align its tax policies with those of the European Economic Community (EEC), which it joined on January 1, 1973. The UK contributed a standardized 0.3% of its total VAT income to the EU budget. This VAT-based resource was part of the overall contributions made by member states to fund the EU. Over this time period, the UK contributed trillions to the EU.
When VAT was first implemented, the standard rate was set at 10%. Over the years, the VAT rate changed multiple times, reflecting economic conditions and government policies. In 2011, it was raised to 20%. VAT has since become a significant source of revenue for the UK government, ranking as the third-largest source after income tax and National Insurance.
After leaving the EU on January 31, 2020 (instead of in 2016 that the British people voted for), the UK government retained the 20% VAT rate, as reducing it would have significant budget implications. While the UK government no longer had to pay the EU, Britons have had to pay the UK government the standard 20%, gaining no tax savings themselves.
The Transaction Tax
The incoming 15% Transaction Tax, which is a new tax that Gibraltar will implement, as part of a post-Brexit agreement with Spain, will replace Gibraltar’s previous VAT-free status and is designed to align with EU tax standards while maintaining open borders with Spain. This shift addresses longstanding concerns from Madrid, which has argued that Gibraltar’s lower tax environment distorted competition in Gibraltar’s favour, and created employment for 15,000 people from La Linea.
The Gibraltar Government will benefit from this transaction (VAT) tax, but it is unclear what portion of the 15% it will receive, if not all. The tax will eventually increase to 17% to align with Luxembourg, the lowest tax rate of an EU member state. The new tax regime will replace existing import duties and is designed to be applied at the point of importation or manufacture.
Luxembourg’s standard VAT rate has evolved over time, initially set at 10% when the VAT system was introduced in the EU. As of 2026, the standard VAT rate is 17%, with previous adjustments reflecting economic needs and inflationary pressures. Hungary has the highest VAT rate at 27%, due in part by the 2007/08 financial crisis, to improve fiscal stability and reduce the national budget deficit.
The VAT-FREE Marketing Advantage
A walk down Main Street will reveal shop after shop offering goods VAT FREE. This was Gibraltar’s marketing advantage that separated it from buying similar goods in Spain. A person could buy a £400 Swiss watch and not have to pay £80 in VAT. The government obviously thinks that Gibraltar’s traders are stupid-enough to believe that, in exchange for this new tax, they’ll be getting a new customer base of 400+ million in Europe. How they will reach them or provide incentives for them to come and buy from Gibraltar instead of from a trader close to home is unknown, especially if it is cheaper and more convenient for consumers to use a local trader, and support their local economies.
Even now, Gibraltarians shop in Spain for cheaper goods; or for goods that cannot be found in Gibraltar. How will losing their marketing VAT-Free advantage affect sales? If, in reality, the new regime proves to be not sustainable, certain traders will have to let Spanish employees go, or even go bankrupt and close-down. The domino effect of that will be Gibraltar will need less Spanish workers crossing the border to work, because people will be buying goods and creating employment in La Linea, and Gibraltar’s economy will collapse.
There are multiple reasons why the treaty details have been kept secret up until this point and are now very slowly being forced out into the light. While they quote fraudulent legal reasons for keeping details secret, it’s worth noting that two reasons are to keep people in the dark and control the narrative and to silence dissenting voices and opposing views.
Is the April 10th ‘fearful’ deadline a way for them to implement the treaty so that people feel there is no way out of it? The treaty has not been ratified or gone through all the proceedings to actually make it official. It may be worth noting that the fat lady hasn’t sung yet.
Gibraltar Messenger: This treaty is AGAINST God’s Law, that He gave you, to protect you from TRAITORS and FOOLS.