THE parents of obese teenage children are being penalised by EU rules, says an MEP.
Under Brussels legislation, clothing for children under 14 is VAT-exempt.
But the rules are based on size, so that children larger or taller than the average 13-year-old have to wear clothing designed for older children.
Consequently their parents have to pay VAT on their clothes – including their school uniforms.
It is estimated that a third of all 11-15-year-olds are currently overweight or obese and the current situation disadvantages those from lower socio-economic groups, who suffer the highest incidence of weight problems.
The problem has been highlighted by the Schoolwear Association, the trade body for school uniforms.
Their chairman Donald Moore approached UKIP's Ellesmere Port MEP, John Whittaker, who said: “It should be our own government which decides on our tax rates, not the EU.
“VAT is also prone to widespread fraud. UKIP would abolish it and replace it with a Sales Tax levied and controlled by our elected Westminster Government.”
