Six disability charities have lent their support to an online campaign asking the government to review VAT on disabled facilities.

The campaign, which is on Facebook, is calling on the government to allow a discretion to enable zero-rating VAT of services and supplies not directly attributable to a disabled person such as facilities in a home.

Leonard Cheshire Disability, Scope, Muscular Dystrophy, the Spinal Injuries Association and Every Disabled Child Matters have all supported the campaign with links on their websites.

Lesley Cross, who is leading the campaign told Civil Society that currently only a small element of a housing extension for disabled people qualifies for zero-rating:

“The remainder now incurs 20 per cent VAT,” she said. “That is a huge percentage of the total work at a time when people are struggling to fund these necessities.

“Huge steps in legislation have been taken to improve the quality of life for the disabled person yet the current VAT legislation doesn’t keep up with those aims and intentions.”