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School uniform is an item bought out of necessity and is an expense that most British parents will face. Yet many are unaware that school uniform is only VAT exempt on sizes that the Government judges would fit children under the age of 14. The Schoolwear Association believes that this state of affairs must change; consequently the new trade body for the whole school-specific uniform industry is continuing its drive to cut VAT from 17.5% to 5% on all items of school-specific uniform and sports kit, i.e. items which carry the school badge or emblem and are worn only at school.
"The concept of sizing by age is often irrelevant today," it says. "Parents with younger secondary school children, and many with older primary school age children, face paying this tax earlier than the Government deems they should. The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) issued guidelines for school uniforms to prevent excessively high prices being charged. In spite of this, the Government insists in penalising parents by issuing this surcharge for those with older or bigger children. Furthermore, with the age of compulsory schooling set to be raised to 18 by 2013, it appears likely that lower income families will again be the worst hit."
As part of its ongoing campaign, the Association has met with a number of political opinion-formers, including Michael Gove, Shadow Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families; Jacqui McLean, lead contact on school uniforms from the Department for Children, Schools and Families; and Nick Gibb, Conservative Shadow Minister of State for Schools to name a few. In addition, Nigel Evans, a Conservative MP has kindly agreed to sponsor an Early Day Motion on the VAT campaign, with additional support coming from Greg Pope MP and Lembit Opik MP.
Donald Moore, Schoolwear Association Chairman, says: "We feel strongly that the benefits that dedicated, school-specific uniform can bring should not be diminished by punitive taxation. The Government has voiced its support for school uniforms but it is now time for them to turn these words into actions."
To join visit: http://www.schoolwearassociation.co.uk/
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