Bestway Wholesale managing director Dawood Pervez has called the news that the ending of 0% VAT on vital PPE at the end of October surprising, and potentially dangerous.
Confirmed in an email sent to the Federation of Wholesale Distributors, Pervez has stated his concern for both retailers and to the general public: “Right now there is a significant amount of PPE stock in the market as retailers and wholesalers have built up stocks in advance of Winter and increasing Covid-19 infections.
Bestway chief calls for fairer distribution from suppliers
“A clear objective of the industry – and government – has been to ensure retailers and their teams all stay safe, and to keep PPE in strong evidence on shelves up and down the country in order to protect consumers and ensure there is no repeat of PPE shortages seen earlier in the year,” he said.
“An increase of 20% is a significant amount, and it is a surprising move if we all wish to keep safe and control the pandemic. There is little doubt that increases in price will slow demand and act as a barrier to buy PPE for some, at a time when many peoples’ income has been reduced due to the pandemic, and every penny in their shopping basket counts,” Pervez cloncluded.
