Cancer patient campaigns to scrap VAT on sunscreen
A skin cancer survivor is petitioning the UK government to remove the 20% VAT on sunscreen, arguing it is a medical necessity rather than a cosmetic product. The government maintains that high-factor sunscreen is already available VAT-free for specific medical conditions via the NHS.
Why it matters
The campaign highlights the debate over the classification of preventative health products and the impact of taxation on public health accessibility.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Mark Norman South East health correspondent Family handout Jessica had most of her lower eyelid removed after being diagnosed with skin cancer A Sussex woman is calling on the government to scrap VAT on sunscreen after being diagnosed with skin cancer at the age of 26.
Jessica Zbinden-Webster from Ferring in West Sussex will deliver a petition of almost 100,000 signatures to Downing Street, calling on the government to scrap the 20% VAT charged on sunscreen products.
Diagnosed in 2018 Zbinden-Webster said she wanted the government to axe the tax to make sunscreen "more accessible to more people".
The government says it will "fight cancer on all fronts".
Describing her treatment Zbinden-Webster said the tumour had spread quite deep underneath the surface of her skin.
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