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The government has unveiled a range of measures aimed at tackling the impact of the Middle East war. The measures to help with the cost of living for consumers and business costs for companies include the Great British Summer Savings scheme. Here’s the full list:
From 25 June to 1 September, VAT cut from 20% to 5% in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland for:
- Children’s menu meals served in restaurants for consumption on the premises.
- Children’s and family tickets for cinemas, theatres, concerts, shows and exhibitions.
- Admission tickets for children and adults to attractions including: amusement parks, fairs, museums, zoos, soft play centres, circuses, adventure parks, nature reserves, wildlife parks and observation attractions.
Free bus travel for children aged 5-15 in England in August.
5p cut in fuel duty continues for the rest of the year, instead of ending on 1 September as planned.
12-month road tax holiday for hauliers, which the government says means they will pay £1 at renewal, saving £600 for a typical heavy lorry and £912 for the biggest vehicles.
Fuel duty rate on red diesel, used by farmers and rail freight, reduced by over a third from 10.18p to 6.48p per litre from 15 June until the end of 2026.
10p per mile increase in tax‑free mileage rates for the 2026-27 tax year, backdated to April 2026. The government says that on average, this will save around £120 for a worker doing 6,000 business miles, using their own vehicle for work.
Business consultation on suspending tariffs on 100+ types of products including biscuits, chocolate and dried fruit and nuts. This is on top of the agri-food tariff suspensions announced at the end of April.
£350m Critical Chemicals Resilience Fund to “support strategically important producers and sites, strengthen critical supply chains and help support thousands of skilled jobs” and a £120m fund to “back energy efficiency and decarbonisation” for the ceramics sector.
