It’s time to remove VAT from suncream products

When I brought forward the proposal for free suncream dispensers in Cork City Council - in partnership with the Irish Cancer Society and funded by the local authority and the HSE - it was grounded in one simple aim: to help people protect themselves.

With skin cancer now the most common cancer in Ireland, the case for action and bringing public health to people was obvious.

I’m proud that Cork led the way in installing these dispensers in public parks — it’s a positive, visible step toward greater sun safety.

But let’s be honest: it’s only the beginning.

If we’re serious about prevention, if we truly want to make sun protection part of everyday life, then we need to go further — and that means removing VAT on SPF products.

Right now in Ireland, suncream is taxed at 23%. That’s a tax on cancer prevention.

It’s wrong, and it needs to change, but the Government is hamstrung by European Union rules.

Every year, more than 11,500 people are diagnosed with skin cancer in Ireland, according to the National Cancer Registry.

These are not just numbers. They are neighbours, colleagues, loved ones — many of whom could have been protected with consistent access to SPF.

We know that nine out of ten skin cancer cases are caused by UV exposure.

The Irish Cancer Society is repeatedly advocating for action by the public and government. Their research shows that one in seven adults never use suncream, even during summer, and half of adults report getting sunburned.

This isn’t just about cost — it’s about access and awareness.

Families, outdoor workers, and vulnerable people are being asked to treat suncream like a luxury item. That’s unacceptable.

To add insult to injury, there’s a frustrating caveat: under current EU VAT rules, there are limitations on how individual countries can reclassify products like SPF.

But let’s be clear — Europe must allow Ireland to make its own determination when it comes to public health.

We must have the freedom to treat sun protection for what it is: essential healthcare.

If we can remove VAT on period products, we must be allowed to do the same for SPF.

To that end, I have submitted a motion to Cork City Council to seek that engagement with the College of Commissioners in the European Union, and especially the VAT committee.

I do this not in a party political finger-pointing way, but in cross-party effort to achieve meaningful change on the subject.

Because public health wins benefit us all, and party politics should be left outside the door.

The suncream dispensers in Cork’s parks are proof of what we can do when we act decisively, and I again applaud the directors of Cork City Council for engaging so positively in this field.

It is a reminder of how far we still need to go. Free SPF in the dispensers is a wonderful first step — but people need access every day, not just on a walk through Fitzgerald’s Park.

That means proper affordability, and that starts with removing the VAT.

The Government has the power to push this change at European level but if barriers are in the way, then we must fight to change those rules, rather than shrug and move on. Public health must come before bureaucracy.

This is a public health issue. It’s a cost-of-living issue. And ultimately, it’s a matter of political will.

Let’s not wait until the next budget or the next Programme for Government.

The time to remove VAT on suncream is now — because prevention should never be a privilege.

Peter Horgan is a Labour Party Councillor on Cork City Council representing the South East Ward and is also a member of the HSE Regional Forum.