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Drugs: VAT

Asked by Dr Caroline JohnsonConservativeTreasuryTabled Answered 15 June 2026UIN 8670

The question

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on what date HMRC began actively enforcing charges on VAT free of charge medicines.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson

Under long-standing UK VAT law, some non-monetary transactions are treated as supplies to ensure a fair tax result where VAT has been recovered on costs. The application of VAT to medicines or treatments provided free of charge depends on the specific facts of each case. HMRC has applied this law consistently for many years and continues to do so fairly across all taxpayers.

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