DON’T TAX OUR HEALTH CHOICES! From March 1st 2019 the Government will be applying VAT at 23% to all Vitamin, Probiotic & Food Supplements. These supplements have been VAT free for the last 40 years! A2 POSTER CODE: VAT03 A4 POSTER CODE: VAT04 +23% Available from Wholefoods VAT HEALTH IS NOT A LUXURY! SIGN THE PETITION TODAY! @stopthisvat www.stopthisvat.ie What is happening: The Revenue Commissioners have decided that on March 1st 2019, 23% VAT will be applied to all health food supplements. This includes Vitamins, Probiotics and Fish Oil. What does this mean? On March 1st 2019, retailers must apply 23% VAT to all health food supplements, resulting in a 23% price increase for consumers. Such a sudden and radical increase in taxation will put a huge strain on consumers and cause many to have to reconsider their approach towards managing their health. This is bound to seriously damage the local Irish businesses that are the cornerstone of the industry sector, particularly if consumers turn to the international Internet to try and obtain a better priced product. What can I do: • Sign the petition (online and in-store) which can be found at www.stopthisvat.ie. • Additional petition hardcopies are available from Wholefoods Wholesale (product code: VAT02). Wholefoods drivers will happily take completed petitions back from you. Please ensure that all petitions are returned to Wholefoods by February 18th. • Actively encourage customers to sign the petition and highlight what VAT will mean for their purchases. • Email or write to your local minister or TD. Sample text can be found on page 3 of this document. Contact details can be found on pages 4-6. • Share the social media assets which have been created for the campaign. The IHTA in association with HSI have created various assets to support this campaign. Health Stores Ireland members can download these assets from Google Drive. Alan McGrath, Health Stores Ireland ([email protected]) can advise you here if you are having any issues. Alternatively, these assets are also available on Dropbox. Any team member from Wholefoods, Naturalife or Natural Medicine Company will happily share the Dropbox link with you. • Contact your local newspaper and radio station and make them aware of what is happening and that it will affect their listeners / readers and will negatively impact many local businesses. We have spokespeople who can be interviewed on air or for the newspaper. Please refer to the press release on page 7. 2 Sample Minister letter/email: Dear Minister/TD, As you are probably aware, the Revenue Commissioners have decided to impose 23% VAT on all food supplements on March 1st 2019. I am writing to you as a business owner and consumer of food supplements to ask that you take whatever steps are within you power to prevent this from happening. I am extremely concerned that Revenue should take this action after asking the Government to legislate and when the Government has stated that it is seeking advice on how best to do so. It seems to me that this is completely undemocratic. I am glad that the Government are taking this proposal for a health-related tax so seriously. They should be given the time they need to make the right decision. I hope they will make sure that c onsumers are properly consulted in the process. I see no justification for the Revenue Commissioners at this stage to change the 0% rate of VAT that has been in place for 40 years and they should be stopped from doing so. As a business person, I also have to say that to impose a 23% increase all in one go is draconian. You cannot impose such a huge increase without doing harm – harm to my business and the business sector as a whole, and harm to my customers, who will have to limit their ability to buy products which they find of real value in helping them manage their health. If, at the end of the day the Government considers that it is appropriate to introduce a reduced rate of VAT on food supplements, it should be introduced at the lowest rate possible to reflect the health benefits that consumers get from consuming foodstuffs in this way and to avoid harming businesses and a business sector that provide real value to our society. However, my understanding is that the reason why foods are sold without VAT in Ireland is because they are important for heath; I cannot therefore see the justification for imposing VAT on a class of food which consists of foodstuffs that specifically do just that – particularly when 0% VAT is applied to foods like sugar, white bread and flour, salt and sauces, the damage to health caused by which is often the reason why food supplements are consumed in the first place. I hope that you will take my concerns seriously and represent them to the Government in the Dail. I do not usually get involved in politics like this, but in this case my livelihood is being threatened by a change in policy that is completely unacceptable to me personally and as an Irish citizen. Sincerely *TD Contact details can be found on pages 4-6. 3 TD contact details: Name Constituency PartyElected Oireachtas Email Bobby Aylward Carlow-Kilkenny Fianna Fáil [email protected] John McGuinness Carlow-Kilkenny Fianna Fáil [email protected] John Paul Phelan Carlow-Kilkenny Fine Gael [email protected] Kathleen Funchion Carlow-Kilkenny Sinn Féin [email protected] Pat Deering Carlow-Kilkenny Fine Gael [email protected] Brendan Smith Cavan-Monaghan Fianna Fáil [email protected] Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin Cavan-Monaghan Sinn Féin [email protected] Heather Humphreys Cavan-Monaghan Fine Gael [email protected] Niamh Smyth Cavan-Monaghan Fianna Fáil [email protected] Joe Carey Clare Fine Gael [email protected] Michael Harty Clare Independent [email protected] Pat Breen Clare Fine Gael [email protected] Timmy Dooley Clare Fianna Fáil [email protected] David Stanton Cork East Fine Gael [email protected] Kevin O'Keeffe Cork East Fianna Fáil [email protected] Pat Buckley Cork East Sinn Féin [email protected] Sean Sherlock Cork East Labour [email protected] Billy Kelleher Cork North-Central Fianna Fáil [email protected] Dara Murphy Cork North-Central Fine Gael [email protected] Jonathan O'Brien Cork North-Central Sinn Féin [email protected] Mick Barry Cork North-Central Solidarity - People Before Profit [email protected] Aindrias Moynihan Cork North-West Fianna Fáil [email protected] Michael Creed Cork North-West Fine Gael [email protected] Michael Moynihan Cork North-West Fianna Fáil [email protected] Donnchadh Uinseann O'Laoghaire Cork South-Central Sinn Féin [email protected] Michael McGrath Cork South-Central Fianna Fáil [email protected] Micheál Martin Cork South-Central Fianna Fáil [email protected] Simon Coveney Cork South-Central Fine Gael [email protected] Jim Daly Cork South-West Fine Gael [email protected] Margaret Murphy O'Mahony Cork South-West Fianna Fáil [email protected] Michael Collins Cork South-West Independent [email protected] Charlie McConalogue Donegal Fianna Fáil [email protected] Joe McHugh Donegal Fine Gael [email protected] Pat the Cope Gallagher Donegal Fianna Fáil [email protected] Pearse Doherty Donegal Sinn Féin [email protected] Thomas Pringle Donegal Independent [email protected] Denise Mitchell Dublin Bay North Sinn Féin [email protected] Finian McGrath Dublin Bay North Independent [email protected] Richard Bruton Dublin Bay North Fine Gael [email protected] Seán Haughey Dublin Bay North Fianna Fáil [email protected] Thomas P. Broughan Dublin Bay North Independents 4 change [email protected] Eamon Ryan Dublin Bay South Green Party [email protected] Eoghan Murphy Dublin Bay South Fine Gael [email protected] Jim O'Callaghan Dublin Bay South Fianna Fáil [email protected] Kate O'Connell Dublin Bay South Fine Gael [email protected] Mary Lou McDonald Dublin Central Sinn Féin [email protected] Maureen O'Sullivan Dublin Central Independent [email protected] Paschal Donohoe Dublin Central Fine Gael [email protected] Alan Farrell Dublin Fingal Fine Gael [email protected] Brendan Ryan Dublin Fingal Labour [email protected] Clare Daly Dublin Fingal Independents 4 Change [email protected] Darragh O'Brien Dublin Fingal Fianna Fáil [email protected] Louise O'Reilly Dublin Fingal Sinn Féin [email protected] Eoin Ó Broin Dublin Mid-West Sinn Féin [email protected] Frances Fitzgerald Dublin Mid-West Fine Gael [email protected] Gino Kenny Dublin Mid-West Solidarity - People Before Profit [email protected] John Curran Dublin Mid-West Fianna Fáil [email protected] Dessie J Ellis Dublin North-West Sinn Féin [email protected] Noel Rock Dublin North-West Fine Gael [email protected] Róisín Shortall Dublin North-West Social Democrats [email protected] Catherine Martin Dublin Rathdown Green Party [email protected] Josepha Madigan Dublin Rathdown Fine Gael [email protected] Shane Ross Dublin Rathdown Independent [email protected] Aengus Ó Snodaigh Dublin South-Central Sinn