Jimmy Thomas, the UK gaming impresario, hit the headlines in the Daily Telegraph this morning with a crushing indictment of the practice of charging VAT against refurbishments of hospitals for the chronically sick.
Thomas has passed on £2.3m to the famous Royal Marsden Hospital in London, which treats cancer patients. The money was used to refurbish the Ellis Ward, which specialises in women’s treatments. The ward reopened after the refurbishment today. Thomas lost his wife, Alma, with cancer after lengthy treatment at the hospital in 2008. After heading up a fund to find the money to rebuild the ward, he now faces a £460,000 VAT bill.
He said: “The fact that a world-leading hospital, at the very pinnacle of treatment excellence, should be slammed with a VAT bill just to improve facilities for essential National Health Service care, is criminal.”
Jimmy Thomas, assisted by his wife, had a lifetime of operating and manufacturing machines and games for the amusement and bingo industry, running chains of arcades and bingo clubs across the country. He is a former president of the trade association BACTA.
Speaking of the imposition of VAT on this type of charitable work, he said: “I have sat next to David Cameron at lunch and explained this atrocious state of affairs. So far, there has been no response and frankly I am tired of waiting. He vowed he would not take money from the sick and vulnerable to fill the financial black hole and that’s exactly what he continues to do.”
A trust has been set up to continue fund-raising for the Royal Marsden.
