Mobilising 1.5 million listed property owners to secure tax and planning reform
This summer the Club launched a national petition calling on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to reduce the rate of VAT to 5% on repairs and approved alterations to listed buildings in this year’s autumn budget. We are well on the way to achieving the first petition target of 10,000 signatures which will mean that the Government must respond. If you haven’t already signed please do so as soon as possible and please ask your friends and neighbours to do the same.
Via the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Listed Properties (APPG) we have been asking all MPs who have a substantial number of listed buildings in their constituencies to encourage owners to sign; most are being very supportive of these efforts. The voting strength of our group is clearly becoming noticeable and with 1.5 million voters living in listed buildings we could have a very significant impact at any election.
The Petition Map shows where the Club’s members have already taken action and hardly unexpectedly the level of political support mirrors the number of listed buildings in each constituency. We have been particularly strong in North Herefordshire, Tiverton and Honiton, The Cotswold, Cities of London and Westminster, Tonbridge and Malling and of course, South Thanet, constituency of the APPG chairman, Craig Mackinlay.
Martin Anslow of the Club said “If you have yet to make your mark on the map by signing the petition, please do so now and be sure to ask your friends and neighbours to do the same. The more names on the petition the louder our voice and the less excuse the Government will have to dismiss our argument. 10,000 signatures ensures a response but even better 100,000 may secure a formal debate.
It is incomprehensible that all work on newly built houses is free of all VAT, and yet we are compelled to pay an extra 20% for the already high cost of maintaining our protected homes.”
10 Listed Heritage Magazine September/October 2018
The Club is an active member of The Heritage Alliance, a consortium of organisations involved with the heritage industry as well as the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC), both of whom are supportive of our efforts by publicising the petition. Barbara Cummings, Director of Heritage at Historic Environment Scotland re-tweeted the Clubs Twitter announcement of the petition with the comment “(I am) fascinated to see what happens. I have always thought no VAT on new build but VAT on looking after what we already have is perverse!”
The Club will keep up the momentum of the petition in the coming weeks using all media and other influencers to raise awareness. It is important to make the strongest case as MPs return from their long summer recess in September and the Chancellor begins work on the 2018 budget. APPG chairman Craig Mackinlay MP will be formally urging the Chancellor to consider this VAT reduction.
Whilst we continue to push for planning and VAT reform, our focus will also turn to energy efficiency. More details will follow in the coming months.
In other developments, Craig has filmed a short video explaining the work of the APPG. You can watch this on the Club’s YouTube channel. He will also be hosting another Owners’ Forum in his own constituency where he will be able to hear first-hand the issues and problems of owning a listed building. For more information on this please see page 12.
Finally, on Monday 10th September the Club, together with a group of owners, will be meeting MPs at the House of Commons to discuss further the issues that owners face. At this meeting we will present a history of the VAT saga including the “now forgotten” reasons for the original zero rating, the reasons given by civil servants to change the law and the effect this change has had on the historical built environment.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152
