We are being changed massive sums of money to see an emergency vet, and VAT is put on top of it. A rather minor example of this, is that our cat was put to sleep out of hours and it cost approximately £160 + £30 VAT. Whilst this figure is a high sum for most households, it is dwarfed by vet bills which runs into the £1000s.

VAT is intended to be placed on luxury services like alcohol and cigarettes, not on saving your pets life or using an euthanasia injection to shorten their suffering. You don't have to spend money on alcohol (hence it being a luxury), yet you have to give your pets emergency vet care whenever necessary, otherwise face being prosecuted. They can afford to charge extortionate amounts because we are willing to pay them to avoid prosecution. However VAT shouldn't be placed on Emergency Vet care and make these ammounts even higher.

Some vet bills run into the £1000s, and even lower sums of money are barely affordable for the average working class household, then the VAT is added on, which helps to financially cripple households for quite frankly being caring law abiding citizens.

It isn't essential for the government to add VAT, as they make £5.25bn per year from VAT on alcohol, and only make a miniscule fraction of that sum from VAT on emergency vet care. The conclusion generated from this, is that the income generated from Emergency Vet VAT is like pocket change to the government. However it can and often does unnecessarily leave other households in debt, and even homeless if they fail to keep up with mortgage repayments.

We sign this petition in the hope that the government will extinguish the idea that VAT shall be added onto vet bills, due to the simple facts that it puts households under unnecessary stress, treating an animal isn't a luxury, and the government don't even need VAT.