80,000 people join call from teen who survived cardiac arrest to make defibrillators VAT free
Sarah Kilburn-Wilson reports on the footballer who nearly died from a cardiac arrest, fighting for more accessible defibrillators.
A teenage footballer from Leicestershire, who survived a cardiac arrest is campaigning for the Government to remove VAT from the cost of defibrillators - making them more accessible.
Jack Hurley, who's heart stopped whilst playing football for his local team, is calling on the government to remove the tax that is currently on defibrillators.
Called the 'heart restart tax', the current VAT on these life saving devices can add anything between £200 and £500 on the cost of a machine.
Jack, who started a petition that has now reached nearly 80,000 signatures says:
"The defibrillator saved my life, so if anyone else had a cardiac arrest out there it could save their life. So we're trying to save as many lives as possible. I just think having VAT on it, it's not a luxury item, it's a life saving bit of equipment".
Jack's team, North Kilworth football club, had fundraised and got donations to buy their defibrillator just a few weeks before Jack collapsed. The club did have to pay VAT on it.
Club chairman Richard Brown says that even though it was expensive, it was necessary.
He says that "Unfortunately its just one of those things, obviously it puts 20% on the price and its already an expensive purchase, but we had no choice we needed a defib".
Jake Horwood was the first player on the scene when Jack collapsed and administered his CPR.
Jake and fellow players bought valuable time until the paramedics arrived. Jack was then airlifted to hospital.
Not long after he collapsed on the pitch and nearly died, Jake was back on the pitch playing his first match.
For Jack, although the event is in the past, the defibrillator is still with him. This is because, since the incident, Jack has had a defibrillator that monitors his heart fitted.
Speaking on his life since his cardiac arrest Jack says that nearly "everything is back to normal".
The hope is that for Jack, and many others, that more will be done to make defibrillators cheaper and easily accessible.
ITV News Central contacted the Government for a response on this story. A Treasury spokesperson said:
“We take the safety of the public seriously and provide several VAT reliefs to help organisations buy defibrillators and other first aid equipment. In addition, we are currently inviting community organisations to bid for funding as part of a £1 million grant scheme that expands public access to Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), particularly in public places where they are most needed.”
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