14.02.07
SUPERDRUG SENDS GORDON BROWN A VAT-ALINE Mission SPF25 (Sun Protection Farce) sees 25 Gordon Brown figures sent across the country to ask for Sun Tax action
This morning Superdrug has delivered Gordon Brown a VAT-aline. Or rather 25 life size cut out figures of himself. Each has been in a Superdrug this week petitioning customers for signatures to support the retailer’s campaign to see the VAT cut from 17.5 to five per cent on children’s sun care.
Superdrug wrote to the Chancellor in October asking for his view on the campaign, a letter which was ignored by the Treasury in contravention of the self-imposed 20 day rule, Superdrug is still awaiting a response. Today’s delivery was to let Mr Brown know that he cannot ignore this burning issue – over 1,000 customers signed the cut outs.
This morning’s VAT-aline is the first delivery from Superdrug which the Treasury has accepted. Previous deliveries rejected at the Treasury steps include 10,000 condoms and a giant condom suit. Superdrug wonders what the Chancellor will be doing with the 25 life size clones of himself this Valentine’s Day.
The campaign which launched in July 2006, already has the support of over 70 MPs and 3,500 Superdrug customers who have signed an online petition. An epetition on the Number 10 website was also launched this week (http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/SUNTAXCUT/).
When there are 70,000 new cases diagnosed and 2,000 people die from melanoma each year this is an issue the Treasury cannot ignore. It is estimated that we receive 80 per cent of our exposure to the sun before the age of 21 meaning that protecting a child’s delicate skin is vital in the fight against skin cancer.
Since last summer all baby and children’s Solait sun care at Superdrug has been sold VAT free, and this will continue until the government makes a change to the current VAT rules. This has meant a saving of £1.80 on a 400ml bottle of Solait kid’s SPF30.
Jeff Wemyss said today: “We have written to Gordon Brown and he has
passed our letters on to the Paymaster General, however the response advising
children to wrap up well against the sun isn’t practicable advice
for British parents. We want to know what the Chancellor thinks about the
campaign and the fact that sun protection is classed as a luxury at a time
when the number of cases of skin cancer in the UK has more than doubled
in the last 20 years.”