Growing backlash against Jeremy Hunt's 'crazy' tourist tax
Growing backlash against Jeremy Hunt's 'crazy' tourist tax: Industry leaders call for return of VAT-free shopping
Jeremy Hunt has faced yet another backlash from industry chiefs over his so- saying "crazy" tourist tax.
Opposition is growing among retail bosses to hotels, bars and restaurants over the abolition of VAT-free purchases for international tourists.
In the latest intervention, the boss of Bicester Village, above, renewed warnings that the Hunt tax is keeping tourists away buyers from Britain to European rivals.
James Lambert, who set up Value Retail, the owner of the luxury store in Oxfordshire, said international shopping tourism across Europe had seen an "unprecedented" jump this year.
But, he said, there has been no growth in the number of international buyers visiting the UK, which suggests that the 20% VAT that tourists now have to pay has stunted the country's growth. appeal.
His intervention came days after Kurt Geiger's boss, Neil Clifford, warned that the tax was "drawing visitors to Paris and Milan ".
Clifford said he was "hugely disappointed" when the UK waived VAT-free shopping for international tourists.
It was "crazy" to give UK consumers the green light to travel abroad and buy cheaper.
Jeremy Hunt has faced yet another backlash from industry chiefs over his so- saying "crazy" tourist tax.
Opposition is growing among retail bosses to hotels, bars and restaurants over the abolition of VAT-free purchases for international tourists.
In the latest intervention, the boss of Bicester Village, above, renewed warnings that the Hunt tax is keeping tourists away buyers from Britain to European rivals.
James Lambert, who set up Value Retail, the owner of the luxury store in Oxfordshire, said international shopping tourism across Europe had seen an "unprecedented" jump this year.
But, he said, there has been no growth in the number of international buyers visiting the UK, which suggests that the 20% VAT that tourists now have to pay has stunted the country's growth. appeal.
His intervention came days after Kurt Geiger's boss, Neil Clifford, warned that the tax was "drawing visitors to Paris and Milan ".
Clifford said he was "hugely disappointed" when the UK waived VAT-free shopping for international tourists.
It was "crazy" to give UK consumers the green light to travel abroad and buy cheaper.
What's Your Reaction?
