Milton Keynes North MP Ben Everitt is backing a campaign calling on the Government to scrap VAT on purchases of defibrillators for businesses and community groups.
The local MP has signed a letter to the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in support of the 'Scrap Heart Restart Tax’ campaign launched by the British Healthcare Trades Association. It is calling on the Government to remove the 20% VAT currently levied on defibrillators to widen defibrillator access in public spaces and thereby save lives.
Defibrillators are used to restart a person’s heart in the event of sudden cardiac arrest and early treatment can increase survival rates to as high as 70% if defibrillation is given within three to five minutes of collapse.
Despite this, only AEDs purchased by or donated to specific charities, local authorities and the NHS are exempt from VAT – increasing the cost of purchase for community groups, small businesses and other organisations. In 2022, the Irish Government announced VAT rates on defibrillators would be removed from January 2023, a measure designed to save lives and reduce pressure on healthcare services.
Scrapping the Heart Restart Tax in the UK will be an important step to see similar results and boost numbers of available defibrillators for use in public spaces and workplaces.
Ben Everitt MP said: "Defibrillators save lives. The more we can do to get more defibrillators into communities, the better. Removing VAT from defibrillators would mean a community could afford six defibrillators for every five they purchase now."