Call for VAT meeting

Efforts to find agreement between opticsÕ rival VATteams continued after last weekÕs meeting (News, October 12).
The AOP and ABDO are funding the Leightons/Eye-Tech (L/E) case, while FODO is backing the Specsavers VisionPlus case (SVP).
Advisers for L/E have approached those for SVP requesting that all parties take the L/E case as Ôthe lead caseÕ.
However, one of the three optical representatives who met last week suggested that a further meeting might be needed before any progress is made.
ÔAt this late stage a new strategy has been proposed by the L/E team,Õ said FODO general secretary Bob Hughes. ÔOur team are giving the fullest possible consideration to their proposals and we are seeking a meeting with their advisers to clarify the best way forward, including any alternative proposals we may suggest.Õ
A spokesman for the L/E case said this week that Customs & Excise had confirmed that it intended Ôto concentrate on the impact of the Card Protection Plan (CPP) on the analysis of suppliers by ÒopticiansÓÕ.
He said: ÔWe have been advised that since the facts in L/E have already been found in the High Court case five years ago, and were not challenged on appeal, the Commissioners would be in difficulty if they tried to mount a substantive challenge to those same facts now.Õ
Therefore, it is expected that the case will focus on the legal point of the application of CPP to supplies made by the profession without the need to give extensive evidence relating to the practice of OOs and DOs.



ÔPrevious strategies suggested by them have been withdrawn with explanation.