Cork councillor: ‘Make sun protection exempt from any Vat’

Labour councillor Peter Horgan has called on the European Union to allow sun-protection products in Ireland to be Vat free.

It comes as Cork City Council, in partnership with the HSE Southwest and the National Cancer Control Programme, recently launched a public health initiative to provide free sunscreen dispensers in four city parks.

Mr Horgan raised the matter with his Labour colleague, TD Marie Sherlock, who is the party’s health spokesperson, but he explained that Ms Sherlock was told by government that they could not intervene.

Revenue advised that the Vat rating of goods and services is subject to the requirements of the EU Vat directive, with which Irish law is obliged to comply.

The directive provides that all goods and services are liable to Vat at the standard rate, unless they fall within certain listed categories to which member states may apply a lower rate.

Sunscreens and sun-protection-factor products are not included in the categories of goods and services to which the EU Vat directive allows a lower rate to be applied, and so they are liable to Vat at the standard rate.

There is no discretion under the directive for Ireland to apply a reduced rate to the supply of sunscreens and sun-protection products, Ms Sherlock was told.

Mr Horgan will be seeking European engagement on the matter, as he does not believe Irish consumers should be subject to such a levy on a public health product.

He said: “The Irish Cancer Society has highlighted repeatedly that seven in 10 people say sunscreen is too expensive and one in 10 say they don’t wear it because they can’t afford it.

“I intend to seek European action on this, through one of my motions in September that Cork City Council will write to the College of European Commissioners and European Vat committee to specifically seek the inclusion of SPF products in the reduced rate for member states and to utilise Ireland as a pilot example.

“There are actions we can take, rather than shrugging because one section of Europe has failed to take action, so far, on this public health issue.”