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Tax-Free Shopping

Restore VAT RES and ESC scheme in the UK and extend to EU residents

Learn more about the benefits of tax-free shopping and the potential new EU market worth £10bn

Economic Contribution

Our Activities

AIR tells Rachel Reeves – use tax-free shopping to kick-start growth

July 5th

AIR’s TFS briefing for the Chancellor builds on the Government’s manifesto commitment on growth and shows how the Conservatives missed the opportunity of creating a new £10bn tourism market by ending tax-free shopping rather than extending it to visitors from the EU.

The briefing shows how the previous government's’ TFS costing forecasts have been discredited by all the new data.

[Full briefing]

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Working with the new Government - update on AIR's activities with the new Parliament and Government

8th July 2024

The July AIR Wave highlights our activities before and after the election to promote tax-free shopping as a growth measure to the new Parliament and Labour Government.

 

[Full activity report]

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In the News

Luxury, tax-free shopping should come back to London — Labour make it happen 

The Standard, July 11th

“The data is clear. Research by the Association of International Retail shows that in addition to the £10 billion in tourism spend, the return of VAT-free shopping would help contribute to the wider economy — to the tune around £4 billion in GDP annually.”

[Full article]

 

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Restore tourist tax break to boost retail, demands fashion body

The Times, 8th July 2024

The scrapping of VAT-free shopping for tourists is having a “significant impact” on British retail and hospitality, an influential trade body has warned.

The scrapping of VAT-free shopping for tourists is having a “significant impact” on British retail and hospitality, an influential trade body has warned.

[Full article]

 

More News
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Research and Reports

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AIR's 2023 Nov Evidence on the impact of ending tax-free shopping

 

Ending tax-free shopping results in £1.5bn lost in UK retail sales; a new tax-free shopping-led tourism EU market is also awaiting the UK

You can read the report here.

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Oxford Economic Assessment of Tax-Free Shopping in the UK

 

The reintroduction of TFS would attract more than 1.6 million extra visitors to the UK and stimulate an extra £2.8 billion of tourist spending…

You can read the report here.

Help us Bring Back Tax-Free Shopping


Paul Barnes - CEO

paul@internationalretail.co.uk

Pete Bowyer – Director/Labour Lead

pete@internationalretail.co.uk

Support & Management

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