Companies representing over 1M staff urge Chancellor to revive VAT-free purchasing

At the moment, leaders from the journey, retail and hospitality sectors have written to the Chancellor urging him to right away restore VAT-free looking for worldwide vacationers.

The letter, spearheaded by the capital’s main marketing campaign group, BusinessLDN, and signed by 18 organisations that characterize virtually 1.5 million individuals throughout the nation, highlights how restoring the scheme would assist maximise spending and enhance our economic system.

The UK is now at a stark aggressive drawback to our worldwide neighbours. Current figures from World Blue present that 10% of UK spending by worldwide guests in 2019 has now relocated to EU international locations, which all provide tax-free purchasing. The letter urges the Chancellor to behave now to assist jobs, development and funding in London and the UK.

The letter has been despatched right now forward of a debate in Parliament on tax-free looking for worldwide guests on Thursday, 7 September.

Joint letter to the Chancellor:

Expensive Chancellor,

Restoring tax-free looking for worldwide guests

Forward of the Westminster Corridor debate on 7 September, we’re writing to induce the Authorities to revive tax-free purchasing to maximise spending from worldwide guests and enhance our economic system.

The choice to finish tax-free purchasing in 2021 was deeply misguided. The UK is now at a stark aggressive drawback as a result of truth we cost abroad buyers 20% greater than our worldwide neighbours for a similar items. Each nation within the European Union provides this incentive.

Unsurprisingly, the absence of tax-free purchasing has weighed on our restoration following the pandemic. Current figures from World Blue present that 10% of UK spending by worldwide guests in 2019 has now relocated to EU international locations. The variety of American buyers within the UK is now again to 2019 ranges however this lags far behind France, Spain and Italy, which have doubled their American customer numbers. This hole between the UK and EU can also be evident relating to guests from the Gulf and China.

A number of research have proven that reintroducing the scheme would considerably enhance London and the broader UK economic system by encouraging worldwide guests to spend right here fairly than overseas. It might entice extra high-spending buyers and in flip enhance spending in lodges, eating places, museums and theatres – in addition to retail. This extra spending would greater than compensate for the short-term lack of VAT receipts – delivering a major internet enhance in tax revenues for the Exchequer yearly.

Restoring tax-free purchasing would finally be a win-win for enterprise, the economic system and the nation. It might assist the UK escape the low development entice by boosting spending, together with through the very important Christmas purchasing interval. It might additionally assist us to grab alternatives to draw extra customer spending such because the Paris Olympics subsequent summer time. We urge you to revive tax-free looking for worldwide guests to assist jobs, development and funding in London and throughout the UK. 

Yours sincerely, 

Peter Hogg, UK Cities Director, Arcadis

Paul Barnes, CEO, Affiliation of Worldwide Retail

Simon Murphy, Chief Government, Battersea Energy Station Growth Firm

John Dickie, Chief Government, BusinessLDN

Hugh Seaborn, Chief Government, Cadogan

Steve Griffiths, Managing Director, East Midlands Airport

Inderneel Singh, Chief Government, Edwardian Motels London

Stewart Wingate, Chief Government, Gatwick Airport Ltd

Toby Courtauld, Chief Government, GPE

Amelia Vibrant, Government Director, London Property, Grosvenor

Ros Morgan, Chief Government, Coronary heart of London Enterprise Alliance

Fraser Brown, Retail Director, Heathrow Airport 

Wendy Spinks, Industrial Director, Excessive Velocity 1

Gareth Powell OBE, Managing Director, London Stansted Airport

Chris Woodroofe, Managing Director, Manchester Airport

Dee Corsi, Chief Government, New West Finish Firm

Oliver Fenn-Smith, Chief Government, The Portman Property

Ruth Duston, OBE, Chief Government and Founding father of Primera