In an exclusive television interview with the BBC Business Breakfast programme today, TRBusiness Managing Editor Charlotte Turner clarified the current position on VAT and the appropriate use of airline boarding passes in relation to UK airport shopping.

In a series of two interviews broadcast nationwide in the UK and also internationally on mainstream BBC and the Internet, Turner directly addressed all of the issues in this morning’s programme – while providing concise up-to-date information on how airport retailers are moving positively ahead.

She also clarified the separate instances where 20% VAT on purchases is either exempt or applicable – depending on whether customers are travelling to an EU destination or not – plus emphasising the considerable efforts retailers, airports, the UKTRF and ETRC have made in recent months to reach workable and satisfactory solutions.

This follows the earlier call by former UK HM Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne – triggered by a series of critical newspaper articles – for a review of airside VAT-free shopping on 31 December 2015 ‘to make sure shoppers share more of the benefit in future’. [See: http://www.trbusiness.com/regional-news/europe/uk-treasury-announces-review-into-vat-savings/99665].

While this ‘review’ ultimately never did take place, it did result in the very helpful and considerable efforts by UKTRF to ‘propose’ a code of best practice, a move and initiative which has helped to improve the situation greatly over the last six months.

Link to TRBusiness YouTube channel – first interview: https://youtu.be/6lECrPJHMQU

Link to TRBusiness YouTube channel – second interview: https://youtu.be/2aD8whnPjbo