Charities call for scrapping of VAT on sunscreen amid skin cancer fears

A woman buying sunscreen. Melanoma Focus’s survey found 10% of people surveyed said they did not use it because of the cost and two-thirds said they would use more if it were 20% cheaper. Photograph: Kumar Sriskandan/Alamy

The high cost of sunscreen is resulting in more skin cancer cases, according to charities who are calling on the UK government to scrap VAT on protective creams.

Melanoma skin cancer is on the rise and 4,000 cases annually are linked to poverty, according to the Melanoma Focus charity, which argues that a VAT cut would reduce the number of deaths.