When Ultravox singer Midge Ure sang “It means nothing to me, oh Vienna,” he probably wasn’t talking about how much VAT he thought should be charged on home safety products.
But now Ure, alongside former Liverpool and England footballer Jamie Carragher and West End actress Carley Stenson, is among stars backing a campaign to abolish VAT on safety products in the home.
They are supporting the Axe Safety Tax campaign, launched by technology software company Gas Tag.
This could help cashflow for both agents landlords in making rental properties compliant.
The Government is being urged to scrap the 20% tax on a range of products and services including fire alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, gas safety checks, fire doors and fire extinguishers.
This is especially important for landlords as they can face fines and even imprisonment for failing to conduct gas safety checks and not providing smoke and carbon monoxide alarms or ensuring furniture is fire-safe.
Paul Durose, chief executive of Gas Tag, which helps landlords find engineers and stores household warranties, said: “At a time when safety in the home is so high on the political agenda, it is a disgrace that safety products are taxed as if they were luxury items.
“In sharp contrast, annual MOT inspections which are also intended to save lives are zero-rated.”
A petition has been set up on the Parliament website, which has attracted around 300 signatures so far.
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