🚨 Political Update 🚨

 

Thank you for your ongoing support for #AXEtheSPFtax, the campaign to abolish VAT on sunscreen in the UK. I'm delighted to share that the hard work is paying off!

 

In the last 24 hours, the Liberal Democrats have officially thrown their support behind our movement.

 

Helen Morgan MP, the party’s Health and Social Care Spokesperson, said:

 

'The Liberal Democrats have been clear that protecting people from skin cancer means making suncream more affordable - it is a matter of public health necessity. 

 

'The Government must act and cut VAT on high-factor protective sunscreen and secure a public commitment from major retailers that they will pass on the financial benefit to consumers.'

 

I’m grateful to The Liberal Democrats for lending their support to the #AXEtheSPFtax campaign. The party has shown exceptional leadership in this policy area. I look forward to collaborating with them, and with other parties, on skin cancer prevention strategies.

 

💷 In other political news 💷

 

I have been in communication with the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves MP, and Treasury officials, campaigning for VAT on sunscreen to be axed in next week’s Autumn Budget.

 

The Budget is due to be delivered at 12:30pm on Wednesday 30th October. It will set out the new Government’s fiscal policies, and is expected to include bold plans for enhanced NHS spending. Combined with Labour's new 10-year health plan, there has scarcely been a better time to call for VAT on sunscreen to be scrapped to save lives from skin cancer.

 

Here's where I need YOUR help.

 

Using the email template below, you can write to the Treasury and call on Rachel Reeves MP to AXE the SPF tax. For maximum impact, you can also CC your local MP, whose contact details you will find here.

 

[SUBJECT SUGGESTION: Please #AXEtheSPFtax this Budget]

 

Dear Chancellor of the Exchequer,

 

Over the last decade, the number of Brits with melanoma has soared by almost half. Skin cancer is now the most common form of cancer in the UK, causing disfigurement and distress to thousands. With 1 in 4 men and 1 in 5 women developing a form of skin cancer in their lifetime, treatment for the disease also costs our stretched NHS hundreds of millions of pounds per year. 

 

But up to 90% of these cases can be prevented simply by using sunscreen.

 

Despite this, a 20% 'cosmetic' VAT is still charged on life-saving sunscreen products. It not only makes them less affordable in a cost-of-living crisis, but sends a damaging message about the importance of sun safety to our public health.

 

As Chancellor of the Exchequer, I’m calling on you to address the seriousness of skin cancer - one of the easiest cancers to prevent - and Axe the SPF Tax now. 

 

The statistics are shocking:

·       Around 3,500 people die from skin cancer each year in the UK - that's more than Australia.

·       Over 230,000 cases of non-melanoma skin cancer are diagnosed annually in the UK, with rates predicted to reach almost 400,000 per year by 2025.

·       Around 17,500 cases of melanoma are diagnosed every year in the UK, with cases predicted to rise to 20,000 annually by 2025.

·       In the UK, almost 9 in 10 cases of melanoma skin cancer could be prevented by staying safe in the sun. The more times a person gets sunburnt, the higher their risk of skin cancer.

 

Treatment for skin cancer already costs our stretched NHS over £500m per year. With both costs and incidence rates predicted to rise exponentially, the status quo is unsustainable. Axing the VAT on sunscreen will not only help to save lives, it will help to future-proof our precious NHS.

 

It's time the price of SPF reflected its importance. By axing the VAT on sunscreen in this year’s Autumn Budget, you can make sun safety more affordable for everyone. It’s a small change that can make a life-changing difference.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

[ENTER YOUR NAME]

[ENTER YOUR HOME ADDRESS INCLUDING YOUR POSTCODE]

 

Please feel free to edit as you see fit, or to add a personal message to convey your own sentiments.

 

Don't want to email? You can also share this link to Facebook, X, WhatsApp or email to help grow the petition.

 

Thank you again for your kind support.

 

Yours ever,

Jessica ZW

Campaigner, #AXEtheSPFtax