A young footballer has handed in a petition to Downing Street calling on the Government to scrap VAT from all defibrillator purchases after the device saved his life. Jack Hurley was 19 years old and had no known heart issues when he collapsed on the football pitch in Husbands Bosworth, in Leicestershire, while playing a match in June last year. Teammates acted quickly and used a nearby defibrillator to restart his heart before paramedics arrived.
Mr Hurley said his teammates' actions saved his life, because the next available defibrillator was three miles away. "Had that defibrillator not been in the pavilion, I would not be here today", Mr Hurley said. Now aged 20, the North Kilworth FC player attended No 10 today (Wednesday, October 23) to hand in a letter signed by MPs and charities asking the Government to get VAT on defibrillators scrapped.
It was part of the Stop the Heart Restart Tax campaign which aims to make defibrillators more affordable and accessible all over the UK. READ MORE Leicestershire Police officer admits taking force toilet roll Speaking at Downing Street after handing in the petition alongside his father Colin, Mr Hurley said: "A defibrillator is not a luxury item so why would you want VAT on something that you are not going to use unless you have to? It's life-saving equipment. "We argue that it's like car insurance: you're paying, hopefully not to use it, but in the event you do need to use it, it's there.
" The petition was signed by 46 MPs, includin.
