The Scottish Building Federation is the latest big name to back the Repairing Britain campaign which is aiming to safeguard 250,000 construction industry jobs during the recession.
And both organisations are calling on the government to reduce VAT on property repairs and maintenance to 5%, which, they say, will help “stimulate the economy and encourage the public and local authorities to take an interest in the maintenance of their homes and community buildings”.
It’s a call that echoes the work of the Get Britain Building campaign launched earlier this year.
Repairing Britain says up to half a million jobs could be lost in the current downturn. However, it is highlighting that refurbishment and improvement projects create many more jobs than new build schemes, require skilled tradesmen and are more sustainable.
A consumer study by The Scottish Building Federation recently revealed that spending on home improvement in Scotland would be boosted by a minimum of £80m over the next 12 months if a VAT cut was introduced.
As part of its support of Repairing Britain, The Scottish Building Federation will be encouraging its members to sign the campaign’s petition on the Downing Street website, http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/repairingbritain/ to request the reduction in VAT on property repair work.
