Dunne calls for VAT on PPE to be scrapped
VAT should be scrapped on items of protective equipment while the country deals with the impact or coronavirus, a county MP has said.
South Shropshire MP Philip Dunne says the tax should no longer apply to personal protection equipment (PPE), during the crisis.
Mr Dunne said he had also been told of care providers facing a ten-fold increase in the cost of some PPE due to demand.
He said: “I have been in touch with many different health settings in South Shropshire to discuss PPE, and it was a care home owner in Shropshire who told me the price of basic paper face masks had risen markedly from 9p to 99p, with the Treasury receiving 20p for each one sold to care homes and others not supplied via NHS.
"We need to ensure PPE is as accessible as possible to those in the care sector, and scrapping VAT on these products will help reduce the cost for many care providers in providing their staff with adequate PPE. I have contacted ministers to drive home this point.”
