Static Caravans (VAT) Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Static Caravans (VAT)

Alan Johnson Excerpts
Thursday 26th April 2012

(12 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Graham Stuart Portrait Mr Stuart
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My hon. Friend is right. I am not sure that I am ever going to get on to the issue of the non-anomaly that this measure is tackling. We are fortunate that Roger Tym & Partners produced a report on the economic impact of UK holiday parks in January this year, showing that 85% of static units are privately owned and that the remaining 15% are rented out as part of a park’s letting fleet. The market that will be most hit is the one that drives profits on these parks and drives investment. I do not think that the Treasury factored that into its calculations properly.

Alan Johnson Portrait Alan Johnson (Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle) (Lab)
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I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for arranging this serial intervention event.

This afternoon I spoke to Lord Haskins, who is the chair of our local enterprise partnership and the business leader in Hull. He believes that the damage resulting from this measure will, at a stroke, remove all the advantages of our two enterprise zones and local enterprise partnership. Should not the voice of business take precedence in this debate?