Sunday trading, VAT-free shopping? Healey has plenty of low-hanging fruit this Budget Opinion Sunday trading, tax exemptions for NEETs: there's an abundance of low-hanging fruit for Healey to back businesses this Budget.
Revive VAT-free shopping to boost high streets, Selfridges urges Burnham Retail Selfridges has called on Andy Burnham to reinstate VAT-free shopping for international tourists as part of his push to revive British high streets and boost regional growth. The luxury department store chain hit out at then-Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s decision to abolish VAT-free shopping in 2021, adding that it is “encouraged” to see the policy back [...]
The return of VAT-free shopping will boost Britain’s towns and cities Retail Britain has so much to offer. It is no surprise that more than forty million overseas visitors choose to visit our country every year. Walk down Bond Street in London or Princes Street in Edinburgh and you will see visitors from around the world drawn to some of our most iconic retailers. Our high streets [...]
London is expensive enough for tourists September 15, 2026 An overnight levy on top of the removal of VAT-free shopping is making London too expensive for tourists, writes Ros Morgan.
Sir Rocco Forte leads 300 business leaders in call to scrap ‘spectacular own goal’ tourist tax October 21, 2024 Over 300 business leaders have signed a letter asking Chancellor Rachel Reeves to reinstate tax-free shopping in the UK, calling the so-called tourist tax a “spectacular own goal” for retail. The signatories, which include hotelier Sir Rocco Forte, Paul Smith, Heathrow, John Lewis and Shakespeare’s Globe, have said that if Reeves is serious about promoting [...]
Kurt Geiger boss joins list of retailers slamming the end of tax-free shopping September 2, 2024 Kurt Geiger’s boss has said the UK is shooting itself in the foot by not bringing back tax-free shopping for international visitors. Kurt Geiger’s chief executive, Neil Clifford, told The Times that the end of VAT-free shopping has had a “massively negative effect” on Britain”. “International tourists, whether it be Middle Eastern or American travellers, [...]