Scrap tax on sunscreen, say cancer charities

Value added taxation - amended known arsenic VAT - should beryllium scrapped connected sunscreen to marque it much affordable, accidental respective UK crab charities.

Sunscreen is classified arsenic a "cosmetic" merchandise and carries a 20% tax, adding astir £1.50 to the outgo of a bottle.

Charities privation high-factor protective creams to beryllium VAT exempt, citing the cost-of-living situation which has seen galore struggling to bargain indispensable items.

Most tegument cancers are caused by prima damage.

There are respective types of tegument cancer, and melanoma is the astir dangerous, arsenic good arsenic the astir communal benignant among young radical successful the UK - with cases connected the rise.

If untreated, the crab tin dispersed to different areas of the body.

Sunbeds besides summation the hazard of tegument cancer, with immoderate delivering greater doses of UV rays than the midday tropical sun.

"Few realise that getting achy sunburn conscionable erstwhile each 2 years tin triple your hazard of tegument cancer," said Dr Louise Soanes, Chief Nurse, Teenage Cancer Trust.

"Preventing tegument crab by utilizing an effectual prima pick is indispensable - and prima pick shouldn't beryllium a luxury that lone immoderate tin afford."

Cruise vessel dancer Kass Barker, who says she utilized to beryllium "really into sunbathing", was diagnosed with melanoma successful October 2020, astatine the property of 22.

She had gone for a check-up of a mole connected her wrist that had been worrying her.

"I conscionable had a gut-feeling thing was wrong," says Kass.

Kass wants to pass others astir however superior melanoma tin be.

"If determination was a pick that radical said could forestall bosom cancer, past everyone would beryllium buying it - but for immoderate crushed radical bash not spot tegument crab arsenic specified a threat.

"I'm a dancer and I emotion being tanned, but is it worthy your life? I spot radical connected societal media joking astir getting sunburnt, but it's nary joke. Melanoma tin kill."

A mole that has changed shape, oregon colour, oregon looks and feels unusual.

See a doc if you are concerned.

Scottish National Party MP Amy Callaghan is moving a run and petition urging authorities to act. She was diagnosed with melanoma astatine 19.

"More radical wearing sunscreen means less radical getting melanoma," said Ms Callaghan.

"But erstwhile 52% of radical successful my constituency can't spend to crook connected the heating, it's improbable they'll instrumentality connected other expenses similar sunscreen.

"That's wherefore we indispensable marque sunscreen much affordable, by removing VAT."

The foundation Melanoma Focus surveyed 2,000 radical successful the UK aged 16 and over. Around fractional of them thought sunscreen was excessively expensive.

One successful 10 said they didn't usage it astatine each due to the fact that of the cost.

Other reasons fixed for not utilizing it included a tendency to tan, a content their tegument won't burn, oregon a feeling that sunscreen is excessively messy - and unpleasant to use oregon wear.

Tanning itself is really a motion of tegument damage; radical don't person to pain to beryllium astatine a higher hazard of tegument cancer.

Claire Knight, from Cancer Research UK, said: "While terms whitethorn beryllium a obstruction for some, it's worthy remembering that you don't request to walk a batch connected a sunscreen to get bully extortion - what matters is an SPF of astatine slightest 15, and a prima standing of 4 oregon 5.

"There whitethorn beryllium different reasons radical don't usage sunscreen - for example, not realising that you tin pain connected a cloudy day, oregon mistakenly reasoning make-up with SPF successful is sufficient.

"But erstwhile it comes to prima safety, sunscreen is lone portion of it. Spending clip successful the shadiness and covering up with covering are the champion and cheapest ways to support yourself against harm from excessively overmuch of the sun's UV rays."

The 20% modular VAT complaint applies to astir goods and services, including sunscreen products purchased implicit the antagonistic astatine pharmacies.

The exemption the campaigners are requesting would beryllium for proven prima protection, but not instauration oregon different make-up containing SPF.