06 August 2009
Improving Public Health by Cutting VAT on Sports Goods
Ever keen to support initiatives that aim to increase physical activity in the UK, the FSPA has recently written to David Lewis, chairman of the Public Health Commission, and Andrew Lansley MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Health, in support of the Conservative Party’s Public Health Commission’s recommendation to cut VAT on sports goods to encourage the public to take up more exercise and thereby improve their health.
The FSPA is in support of the Public Health Commission’s report, ‘We’re All In This Together - Improving the Long-Term Health of the Nation’, as with over 80,000 avoidable deaths occurring each year in the UK due to poor lifestyles and lack of exercise the FSPA welcomes any initiative that encourages people to become more physically active. The commission’s recommendation to cut VAT on sports goods is particularly welcomed by the national trade body as it has the twin appeal of not only improving public health, but also boosting the UK’s sports and leisure industry.
The FSPA is now awaiting confirmation of a meeting to discuss how increasing sports participation in the UK can greatly assist in improving the health of the nation and how the FSPA might be able to work with the Conservative Party in this area of policy.