60+ or disabled? Then claim your discount!
19/05/2008
Many people are losing out financially because they are unaware that certain goods and services are cheaper if they are 60 or over or have a disability. Value Added Tax (VAT) is charged at 17.5% on most goods and services, but some things have no VAT - or it is charged at a reduced rate - to people who identify themselves as qualifying for the discount.
Some items, such as most food products, do not qualify for VAT, so everyone who buys food automatically benefits, but the following can be purchased free of VAT by those disabled who qualify:
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Cars: the purchase or lease of an adapted vehicle, or the cost of making adaptations
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Alterations to your home: some adaptations and building work to meet the needs of your disability (for example widening of doorways)
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Other equipment: a range of goods if they are specially designed to help with a disability.
For those aged sixty and over who need certain products to increase their mobility, the following items can be bought at a reduced rate of 5% when installed into a home occupied by someone of that age:
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grab rails
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ramps
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stair lifts
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bath lifts
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built-in shower seats or showers containing built-in shower seats
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walk-in baths with sealable doors
So if you are purchasing any of these items, make sure you ask your supplier to apply the reduced rate of VAT if you are eligible. But don’t forget that if you are 60 or over and are ‘disabled’ for the purposes of VAT, you can claim to pay no VAT at all under the rules mentioned earlier.
For more information go to the website linked below.