"DON'T PENALISE DISABLED PEOPLE AND LOCAL BUSINESS" SAYS LOCAL EURO-MP

6.54.39pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 25th Jul 2007

Liz, with one of the scooters, during a visit to N-Able, a mobility scooter dealer affected by the duty increases

Local Euro-MP Liz Lynne, Vice-President of the European Parliament's Disability Intergroup, has urged the government to look again at a World Customs Organisation decision which has led to the reclassification of disabled mobility scooters as leisure vehicles, necessitating a 10% import duty on any scooters from outside the European Union from 2004.

UK customs officials are now sending a flurry of back-dated tax demands which are hurting local businesses and pushing up the costs of disabled scooters.

Liz said:

"It is astonishing that through the UK government's lack of planning and foresight a backdated import duty has been slapped on these vehicles."

"Such scooters are real lifeline for many people who otherwise would have no means of independent transport. The increase now being seen in the retail price may well price them out of the market and leave local elderly and disabled people housebound."

"I have already raised the matter in the European Parliament and will continue to campaign for a solution with my Westminster colleagues as it is unacceptable that vulnerable people are penalised in this way."

ENDS

Liz with Stratford resident and scooter user Anne Harris (l), with one of the scooters during a visit to N-Able, a mobility scooter dealer affected by the duty increases

Notes to Editors:

On the 18th July, Liz Lynne submitted the following question to the European Commission and the Council of Ministers:

To ask the European Commission how many Member States have implemented the collection of duty on mobility scooters for disabled people, following the reclassification of Mobility Scooters to 8703 Leisure Vehicles by the World Customs Organisation; and if they will list the countries that have implemented the reclassification; does the Commission regard the reclassification, which will increase the price of mobility scooters and place them in the same category as golf buggies and other leisure equipment, to be justifiable?

The situation originates in a World Customs Organisation decision several years ago to reclassify disabled mobility scooters as leisure vehicles, necessitating a 10% import duty on any scooters from outside the European Union from 2004.

UK customs remained unaware of this until earlier this year, when it began to send out back-dated demands to importers, which have placed some businesses in financial difficulty. This extra cost has had to be passed onto to dealers and customers.

The British Healthcare Traders Association (www.bhta.com) is fighting against the increase and estimates that the price of a scooter could increase by £250. They estimate the total back demands total some £10million.