SUPPORT OUR AIR AMBULANCE CAMPAIGN

Published at 11:50, Thursday, 15 March 2012

THOUSANDS of pounds raised in Tynedale for the Great North Air Ambulance Service are going straight to the Treasury coffers.

For unlike many other charities, the mercy service has to pay VAT on the fuel its helicopters use.

HM Revenue and Customs pockets more than £24,000 a year of the donations made to the charity, which receives no financial help from the Government.

Now, the Hexham Courant is fronting a campaign to put the life-saving service on an equal footing with similar charities.

A petition calling on the Government to change the existing VAT rules, has already gathered widespread support.

The Courant is urging its readers to either sign the petition online or add their signatures to a hard copy in the newspaper’s front office.

A spokesman for the Great North Air Ambulance said: “We would be extremely grateful if residents could get behind the Courant’s magnificent campaign to support the Great North Air Ambulance by removing the VAT on our fuel expenditure.”

The service does not receive any Government or National Lottery funding and therefore relies on the support of the public to continue its work.

Last year, helicopters were called out to 177 rescue missions in Northumberland alone.