Calls for Irish Government to abolish tax on sunscreen

The Irish Cancer Society has called for the Government to abolish VAT on sunscreen in the next Budget.

According to CEO Averil Power, sunscreen in Ireland can be expensive, particularly for ones with a higher SPF, and the price is prohibitive for people. It is treated as a cosmetic product rather than an essential medical product, with 20% of the cost coming from VAT.

“From the Government's point of view, it's a no-brainer in terms of the cost,” she said. “It’s our most common cancer, and prevention is a lot cheaper than a cure, both for the individual and also for the State.

“That’s why we would love to see Government step forward in the Budget and remove VAT on sunscreen, so no one is put off using it because of cost.”

Several UK cancer charities have also called for VAT on sunscreen to be scrapped in a bid to make them more affordable – it is only available without VAT to a select group of patients on an NHS prescription list suffering from certain conditions when dispensed by a pharmacist.

Power said that the Irish Cancer Society wants Ireland to follow an initiative in the Netherlands and provide free sun protection in public places. Sometimes people forget to put on sun protection, she noted, and schemes like these will make it easy for everyone to protect themselves.

The Irish Cancer Society previously trialled a similar scheme in Ireland before, and it had a really positive response, she added.