Great news for Yorkshire Air Ambulance

Some great news from the budget for the nation’s air ambulance charities. Following a two-year campaign, the government announced in yesterday’s budget that they will refund  VAT on the air ambulance charities’ fuel costs, We are particularly pleased for our charity partner Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
George Osborne announced that all air ambulance charities will be eligible for an annual grant of £65,000 for the next five years to cover the cost of VAT on fuel costs, following a review by HMRC. There are 25 air ambulance charities registered with the Charity Commission

Peter Sunderland, Chairman of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: “We are absolutely delighted to hear the news that The Chancellor will be relieving the 5% VAT that we currently pay on our fuel. This will mean that as a charity we will be saving around £7,000 per year. This money can now be used to help fund the running of both of our life-saving helicopters. It costs £9,990 per day to keep both of the helicopters in the air and we are delighted with this extra support from the government.”