Trending Today:
Message From: Asif Ali Zardari | President Of The Islamic Republic Of Pakistan
Message From: Muhammad Azeem Qureshi | Seasoned & Senior Hotelier of Pakistan
Message From: Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif | Prime Minister Of The Islamic Republic Of Pakistan
  • Aviation
    • Airlines
    • Airports
    • CAA
    • PIA
  • Hotel/Lodges
    • Destination Pakistan
    • Events
    • Food & Beverages
    • Restaurants
  • Pakistan Tourism
    • News
    • Expos & Events
    • Rails & Roads
    • Mountains
    • Organizations
  • International Tourism
    • Cruises
    • Destination
    • Expo & Events
    • News
    • News Destination
    • Organizations
    • Technology
  • Advertise
  • E-papers
  • Newsletter
  • Aviation
    • Airlines
    • Airports
    • CAA
    • PIA
  • Hotel/Lodges
    • Destination Pakistan
    • Events
    • Food & Beverages
    • Restaurants
  • Pakistan Tourism
    • News
    • Expos & Events
    • Rails & Roads
    • Mountains
    • Organizations
  • International Tourism
    • Cruises
    • Destination
    • Expo & Events
    • News
    • News Destination
    • Organizations
    • Technology
  • Advertise
  • E-papers
  • Newsletter
Home»International Tourism»Britain To Re-Introduce | Tax-Free Shopping For Overseas Visitors
International Tourism

Britain To Re-Introduce | Tax-Free Shopping For Overseas Visitors

holidayweeklyBy holidayweeklyOctober 3, 2022No Comments
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Tumblr Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

LONDON: The British government under new Prime Minister Liz Truss unveiled a raft of policies in a tax-cutting mini-budget last week. Key among them for the retail and luxury industries was the decision to reintroduce a tax-free shopping scheme for international visitors to the United Kingdom.

Under former chancellor Rishi Sunak, who lost out to Truss in the race to become leader of the ruling Conservative party earlier this month—VAT refunds were abolished almost two years ago making the U.K. the only country in Europe not to offer tax-free shopping to international visitors.

At the time, the U.K. treasury defended its position to remove tax-free sales at airports on the grounds that “the tax concession is not always passed on to consumers” and that, in some cases, tax-free goods were brought back into the country, putting domestic retailers at a disadvantage.

In the Growth Plan 2022, dubbed a mini-budget, new chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng responded to a hard-fought evdience-led campaign from a coalition of stakeholders including luxury group Walpole, the Association of International Retail, New West End Company, and others to reinstate both VAT refunds for tourists and airport tax-free shopping.

The government said that it will introduce “a modern, digital, VAT-free shopping scheme with the aim of providing a boost to the high street and creating jobs in the retail and tourism sectors.” A factor in the abolition of the old set-up was that it was unwieldy and partly manually based.

By modernizing the scheme through a new digital scheme, Kwarteng hopes to get it up and running “as soon as possible” though no timeline has been set. In a statement, the government said: “The new VAT-free shopping scheme for non-U.K. visitors to Great Britain will enable them to obtain a VAT refund on goods bought in the high street, airports and other departure points and exported from the UK in their personal baggage.”

In a social media post, New West End Company, which represents a variety of businesses in London’s core shopping district, said: “The decision to reintroduce tax-free shopping for overseas visitors is a great victory. Now the West End can compete on a level playing field with Paris, Milan and Madrid as one of the world’s top shopping and leisure destinations.” For EU citizen’s, London—with its comprehensive high-end retail—will be among the nearest places to get 20% (the current VAT rate in Britain) off luxury and other brands, in addition to new duty-free allowances introduced since Brexit.

Helen Brocklebank the CEO of Walpole—representing luxury brands and retailers such as Alexander McQueen, Harrod’s, Burberry, Claridge’s, Farfetch, Harrods, and Rolls Royce—said: “I couldn’t be happier that the government has announced the return of tax-free shopping for visitors to the U.K. The £30 billion luxury tourism sector supports a wide ecosystem of manufacturers, retailers, cultural institutions, hotels and restaurants. This decision will ensure the future of many small businesses and create jobs.”

Post Views: 40
volume 41-2022
Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Telegram Email
holidayweekly
  • Website

Related Posts

Message From: Asif Ali Zardari | President Of The Islamic Republic Of Pakistan

September 28, 2025

Message From: Muhammad Azeem Qureshi | Seasoned & Senior Hotelier of Pakistan

September 28, 2025

Message From: Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif | Prime Minister Of The Islamic Republic Of Pakistan

September 28, 2025

Comments are closed.

Top Posts

Time to meet the Muppets on the Muppet

July 12, 2018

The world don’t move to the beat

July 12, 2018

You would see the biggest gift woud be from me and the card

July 12, 2018

TAAP & TURSAB Praiseworthy Efforts for Mutual Tourism; Turkish CG

March 2, 2017
Don't Miss
Latest News

Message From: Asif Ali Zardari | President Of The Islamic Republic Of Pakistan

By holidayweeklySeptember 28, 2025

Theme: “Tourism and Sustainable Transformation” Today, as we join the global community in celebrating World…

Message From: Muhammad Azeem Qureshi | Seasoned & Senior Hotelier of Pakistan

September 28, 2025

Message From: Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif | Prime Minister Of The Islamic Republic Of Pakistan

September 28, 2025

Virgin Atlantic To Restart | Flights to Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore

September 28, 2025
Stay In Touch
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Vimeo

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest creative news from SmartMag about art & design.

About Us
About Us

Email Us: info@example.com
Contact: +92 321 9264 080

Facebook X (Twitter) Pinterest YouTube WhatsApp
Our Picks

Message From: Asif Ali Zardari | President Of The Islamic Republic Of Pakistan

September 28, 2025

Message From: Muhammad Azeem Qureshi | Seasoned & Senior Hotelier of Pakistan

September 28, 2025

Message From: Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif | Prime Minister Of The Islamic Republic Of Pakistan

September 28, 2025
Most Popular

Time to meet the Muppets on the Muppet

July 12, 2018

The world don’t move to the beat

July 12, 2018

You would see the biggest gift woud be from me and the card

July 12, 2018
© 2025 Weekly Holiday. Designed by Haseeb Ansari.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.