Politics Lists
Ergo - if we were to leave the EU, we could give the Memorial exemption - but the EU dictates it is charged!
So who is now the boss, then?
No loss of Sovereignty......?
Please can we have it back, Mr.Prime Minister?
S
===============
Bomber Command Memorial
Whe haf vays of makeing you pay you shtoopid Englanders.
As suggested by my MP Damien Green I wrote to the Chief Executive of HMRC regarding the VAT charged on the cost of building the Memorial. Here is the reply that was made on her behalf by Mr.R.Morrison.
“Thank you for your letter of 12 July to the Chief Executive of HM Revenue and Customs about VAT charged on memorials. I have been asked to reply.
VAT is designed to be broad-based tax on most consumer expenditure on goods and services, not just discretionary spending on luxury items. There are many other instances where people incur expenditure for an essential or a worthwhile purpose but it is not possible to relieve all such expenditure from tax.
In any event, it would not be possible to extend the scope of the existing zero rate. VAT is an EU-wide tax, the scope of which is set out in EU law under the terms of agreements signed by successive UK governments with our European partners. These agreements do not allow the UK or other EU member states to extend the scope of existing reliefs. In view of this, I am afraid it is not possible to relieve memorials from VAT.
There is an exception to this: if the memorial is a ‘qualifying building’, such as a charitable purpose building, as defined by legislation. Further information about that is in VAT Notice 708, available from the HMRC website –www.hmrc.gov.uk – or by calling the VAT Helpline on 0845 010 9000. However, if the memorial is a statue, monument or similar construction and not a charitable building in its own right, the construction must bear VAT at the standard rate.
Having made you aware of the above, I would add that the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) operates a Memorial Grant Scheme which enables charities and faith groups to recover the VAT charged on the construction and maintenance of a public memorial. Information regarding this scheme is available on the DCMS website, www.memorialgrant.org.uk. you will be pleased to know that the Bomber Command Memorial received funding of £204,000 through this scheme and a separated grant of £796,000 in 2011/12 from DCMS to meet the VAT costs of the building of he memorial.
thank you for making us aware of your concerns.”
So we, as tax payers paid the VAT via the DCMS. As I read this if I give a donation to a registered charity and that donation is used for the construction of a “qualifying building” no VAT will have to be paid. My donation can be described as a sacrifice on my part to that charitable cause. Yet any memorial to those who have made the supreme sacrifice and who are the subject of a memorial have to have a VAT charged on any monument set up in recognition their sacrifice. This will mean, presumably, that when the name of a soldier killed in the pursuit of the defence of Queen and Country is carved on the National War Memorial at Alrewas a VAT will be charged on that work. I also understand that the VAT is paid in part to the EU so whenever we lose a soldier the EU benefits and they need all the money that they can get. I apologise for my diatribe but I do wonder where the sensibilities of our government can be located.
Posts
