Our national colleagues at ACRE are working hard to make the case for a scheme that will refund community halls and associations for the VAT on refurbishments to their buildings. A few weeks ago, ACRE representatives had a positive meeting with Treasury Minister Robert Jenrick at which he expressed understanding of the role and significance of community buildings.
In order to back up these national efforts, please tell your MP about the impact that paying 20% VAT on building projects has had on your organisation. Focus on these three points, if it helps you to structure your argument for a VAT refund scheme pilot:
- How much longer did your fundraising take due to the VAT bill?
- What other improvements or services could you have carried out if you didn’t have to pay VAT?
- How else has the VAT burden impacted your organisation?
If you’d like to get involved in more national campaigns like this then why not sign up to the National Village and Community Halls Network via this link? This is free and is a great opportunity for contributing to national policy development regarding the importance of community halls and centres.27
