SNP MP Amy Callaghan calls on Rishi Sunak to scrap VAT on sunscreen after she survived skin cancer

dailyrecord.co.uk:

An SNP MP who survived skin cancer as a teenager has called on Rishi Sunak to scrap VAT on sunscreen to help save more lives.Amy Callaghan has led a cross-party campaign calling on the UK Government to take action on the issue.The East Dunbartonshire MP launched her VAT Burn campaign last year but quickly ran into opposition from Tory ministers on the grounds of cost.She was diagnosed with melanoma at the age of 19, which later required surgery, but is now cancer free.Callaghan wants the UK Government to make sunscreen VAT-exempt to help make the products both cheaper and more easily available to the public.Most skin cancers are caused by exposure to the sun, with 16,000 new cases of melanoma diagnosed each year across the UK.Callaghan has now shared an open letter on the issue which will be handed in to 10 Downing Street in the coming weeks.She told the Record: "I know first-hand that melanoma is a horrific disease.

Far too many people are diagnosed in the UK every year, over 17,000 in total, and a shocking 2,300 lose their lives."It’s tragic because melanoma is almost entirely preventable by staying safe in the sun."That’s why everyone who has signed this letter is calling on the UK government to remove VAT from sunscreen.

We know cost is a barrier to people wearing sunscreen, so knocking 20 percent off the price would clearly make a big difference."It’s time for the UK Government to do the right thing, make sunscreen exempt from VAT, and ultimately save lives."The letter states: "Research shows that reducing the price of high-factor sunscreen by removing VAT will encourage more sunscreen use thus preventing melanoma skin cancer cases, saving lives and reducing pressure on the NHS. "With the current cost of living