CALLS to scrap VAT on life-saving defibrillators have gone unanswered in the UK Budget, despite a renewed appeal from Argyll and Bute MSP Jenni Minto to make the equipment more affordable for community groups.
The MSP had urged the Chancellor to remove the 20 per cent charge on defibrillators purchased by organisations such as sports clubs, arguing that VAT can add around £250 to the cost of installing a potentially life-saving device.
However, Wednesday’s Budget contained no announcement extending VAT relief to these groups, leaving the existing arrangements unchanged.
Ms Minto has campaigned on the issue for several years, having previously written to the UK Government in 2022.
In her latest appeal, she highlighted the particular importance of publicly accessible defibrillators in rural and island communities such as Argyll and Bute.
The issue has direct relevance in Dunoon, where local organisations have worked to increase access to the equipment through community fundraising.
Last September, Dunoon Senior Citizens’ Club unveiled a new defibrillator following a fundraising effort that raised £1,500 at its annual concert.
The total was reached with the help of a donation made in memory of John Denham, while local businesses also supported the project.
The installation brought the number of defibrillators reported to be available across Dunoon at the time to ten, highlighting the efforts being made locally to improve access to emergency equipment.
For organisations relying on donations and fundraising events, the additional cost of VAT can represent a significant obstacle.
In her letter to the Chancellor, Ms Minto wrote: “Like many people across the country, I have lost dear friends and family members to cardiac arrest and know the acute feeling of loss experienced when losing a loved one suddenly and unexpectedly.”
She added: “Nowhere is this more important than in rural and island communities such as here in Argyll and Bute.”
Under existing rules, certain qualifying purchases of defibrillators can benefit from VAT relief, but community groups and businesses do not automatically qualify for an exemption.
Ms Minto argued that the additional £250 could prevent some organisations from installing equipment that might one day save a life.
She also highlighted British Heart Foundation research indicating that a person’s chances of surviving a cardiac arrest can fall by around 10 per cent for every minute without CPR and defibrillation.
The MSP had pointed to previous Labour support for removing VAT from defibrillators and urged the Chancellor to act in his Budget.
With no change announced, community groups across Cowal seeking to purchase defibrillators will continue to face the existing
VAT rules.
