Parliament Protest Urges Govt To ‘Give Tax The Chop’

Hairdressers descend on Parliament Square to boost attention to VAT cause

by AMANDA | INFORM

Hundreds of hairdressers protested in Parliament Square in a bid to encourage Government to consider urgent tax reform.

Organised by the British Hair Consortium, salon owners and employers gathered at London’s Parliament Square in the hope that Chancellor Rachel Reeves will throw the sector an “economic lifeline”. Protestors wore the hairdressers’ preferred uniform all black with placards including ‘Give Tax The Chop’ and ‘Make Hair Fair’, with some performing cuts on ‘clients’ wearing gowns with SOS – ‘Save Our Salons’ – on the front. Newspapers such as the Daily Mail and The Independent covered the action.

The BHC is urging Government to halve the VAT salons pay on labour costs to 10 per cent to help them overcome the existential crisis they’re facing. A recent report, commissioned by the BHC and carried out by CBI Economics, highlighted how an unbalanced tax system is decimating the hair and beauty industry – and showed that unless things change, there couldbe no new apprenticeships by 2027 and a 93 per cent fall in employment by 2030. This would leave very few in employment, creating a sector largely devoid of the employment rights that come with being an employee.

“We won’t stand down and let our industry die,” said Toby Dicker from The British Hair Consortium. “The support shown by our industry was incredible and I hope that we have gained the attention that we need to show Government that we need a lifeline. We need VAT reform and we’re not going to stop shouting for this to happen.”