National media spotlight shines on campaign to scrap VAT on public AEDs

The BHTA’s Scrap the Heart Restart Tax campaign has reached a significant milestone after being featured in The Guardian, bringing its call to scrap VAT on public automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to a national audience.

The article highlights the campaign’s message that removing the 20 percent VAT charged on public AEDs, replacement pads, and batteries would make it easier for businesses, charities, sports clubs, and community organisations to install and maintain these life-saving devices.

It also draws on campaign figures showing the scale of the challenge. According to the Scrap the Heart Restart Tax campaign, more than 16 million people in England and Wales live over a 1km round trip from their nearest publicly accessible, 24-hour defibrillator, while 35 million people are not within the recommended three-to-five-minute brisk walk of one.

Speaking to The Guardian, BHTA Chief Executive David Stockdale said: “Where you live can still determine whether you survive a cardiac arrest. Defibrillators save lives, yet millions of people remain too far from one when every minute matters.”

Led by the BHTA and supported by members of its First Aid Medical Equipment (FAME) and Defibrillator Section, the campaign argues that removing VAT would help more communities invest in life-saving equipment and improve access where it is needed most.

The campaign has already built momentum through its parliamentary launch and by contributing to the wider conversation on defibrillator access, including last year’s parliamentary debate.

Coverage in one of the UK’s leading national newspapers represents another important step forward for the campaign, helping raise awareness of the case for removing VAT on public AEDs and bringing the issue to a wider public audience.