A TERMINALLY ill mum was stunned to be slapped with a tax bill for the cancer medication that is keeping her alive.
Gemma Lee, 41, has been forced to shell out £2,400 in VAT, on top of the £5,000-a-month drugs not available on the NHS.
She has stage four brain cancer, and after running out of UK options had sought out expensive treatment in Germany.
But she was not expecting the tax bill that followed, due to the changes in how VAT is charged.
Under the rules, imported prescribed drugs from the EU are eligible for VAT charges.
Gemma started taking ONC201, a German trial drug, after doctors said she only had a year to live.
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She said the drug has been a huge help in prolonging her life after the devastating diagnosis.
The mum told Teesside Live: “Since I’ve been taking them, I’ve remained stable which has been amazing. That wasn’t supposed to happen to me.
“I just got this letter, opened it and gasped.
“You are fighting for your life and also fighting red tape and taxes.”
Gemma, married to Hartlepool United manager, Graeme Lee, had 30 rounds of chemo and radiotherapy, but reached the end of the allowed limit and it had had no effect on the tumour.
She said: “We as a family, from that day, just would not accept that was it and we started looking for alternatives.
“I’m just looking to get more time.
“I want to scream it from the rooftops, I see people in the waiting room, other people like me who are going through what I’m going through, and I want to say ‘there are other things out there’.”
A Go Fund Me campaign was set up to raise money for the treatment, with well-wishes donating to help her get the drugs.
An HMRC spokesperson said: “We are sorry to hear of the customer’s circumstances.
“For supplies from the EU, UK import VAT is now chargeable, rather than EU VAT from the supplier, and EU suppliers should have adjusted their charges to reflect that position.
“There is no general VAT relief for drugs sold in the UK.”
CANCER CARE
Prescribed drugs, by a registered pharmacist, are VAT-free in the UK. But VAT relief is not available on imports.
An HMRC spokesperson said: “We are sorry to hear of the customer’s circumstances.
“For supplies from the EU, UK import VAT is now chargeable, rather than EU VAT from the supplier, and EU suppliers should have adjusted their charges to reflect that position.
“There is no general VAT relief for drugs sold in the UK.”
A brain tumour is a growth of abnormal cells that grow on the organ and multiply and spread in an uncontrollable way.
According to the NHS, the symptoms of a brain tumour depend on its severity and which part of the brain is affected.
However, there are common signs that people can look out for if they are worried.
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These include severe, non-stop headaches, seizures as well as nausea, vomiting and drowsiness.
Other signs can include vision or speech problems, paralysis and even changes to a person’s behaviour such as having difficulty remembering things.
These symptoms can appear suddenly or develop slowly over time.
