Argyll & Bute’s MSP, Jim Mather, has joined with party colleagues in calling upon the UK government to treat Mountain Rescue teams fairly and make arrangements to refund or remove the imposition of VAT from costs related to the services the provide.
This was a pledge that was made by Lib Dem candidates before the May 2010 election.
Mr Mather, Minister for Tourism – which of course brings climbers and walkers to Argyll and to the Highlands pf Scotland - says: ‘I note that my colleague Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, who is a member of Ochils Mountain Rescue, has already written to the UK Treasury Minister, Danny Alexander calling for the abolition of VAT charges on the services of mountain rescue teams.
‘I too have written to the Treasury Minister in support.
‘Mr Alexander is the MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, a constituency that has several mountain rescue teams operating in its mountainous terrain (including the Cairngorms) and he would be expected to have some appreciation of the sterling work that such volunteers contribute to the common good.
‘In the run up to the May elections Mr Alexander is on record as stating: “It has never been right that a vital service which relies on donations from the public and extraordinary commitment from volunteers gets hit by the government for a sizeable tax payment.”
‘That is a clear and unequivocal recognition that such charges should be removed.
‘It is estimated that the present VAT charges on mountain rescue fall between £150,000 and £200,000 and while that is a small charge in budgetary terms to the exchequer, it is a significant levy on a service that supports Search and Rescue and the NHS. Such monies could be spent on new vehicles, training and rescue equipment for saving lives.
‘And, of course, VAT is about to rise from 17.5% to 20% early in the New Year, which will make the burden greater.
‘The SNP government has so far backed the Scottish Mountain Rescue service with £300,000 of funding. The UK government should heed Danny Alexander’s pre-election pledge and scrap this VAT imposition with immediate effect. Support rather than penalise these volunteers.’
For Argyll understands that European law is an issue here. Mr Alexander has said that the route to remove the VAT burden from mountain rescue teams may be to refund VAT paid rather than offer exemption, which European law prevents.
He has said that discussions are ongoing to get this in place but does not feel able to give a timescale within which resolution will be achieved. ‘Within the year’ is the likeliest possibility.