Campaigners for the removal of VAT from the sale of defibrillators have highlighted how important the change would be and the huge impact it would have.
At present, only defibrillators purchased by or donated to eligible charities, local authorities and the NHS are exempt from the tax.
Other defibrillators are subject to a 20% rate of VAT which could now be waived by the Government.
Previously, EU law prevented this.
Local football club, the West Bridgford Colts, were gifted a new defibrillator by a local sponsor, who had to pay hundreds of pounds of extra costs in VAT.
The kind donation came about after the sudden death of Dylan Rich, who was a talented 17 year old footballer playing for the Colts. Last year, he tragically collapsed and died during an FA youth game.
Sadly, sudden cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death in young people, even among elite athletes. A recent well known example being when Danish footballer Christian Eriksen collapsed during a match in Euro 2020 but was thankfully revived.
In almost 4/5ths of cases, the person had no prior symptoms before collapsing.
Easy access to defibrillators can save lives in many cases but they can cost more than £1000.
To ensure the maximum possible access to these machines, making them more affordable by cutting VAT is essential.
This week in Parliament, Rushcliffe’s MP Ruth Edwards raised the issue in Prime Minister’s Questions.
She asked whether the Prime Minister would commit to a review on VAT for all defibrillators, to bring them into line with the zero-rate currently applied to other medical devices.
Ruth said “Defibrillators save lives, the more access people have to them, the more chance there is that someone suffering a cardiac arrest can be saved.
“We must do everything in our power to make them affordable to local communities. I am very pleased that the Prime Minister has agreed to meet with me and campaigners to discuss the issue and I hope that it will be the first step to delivering this important change”
