VAT spat ends amicably

FODO has ended its pursuit of costs from the AOP and ABDO regarding last year's VAT tribunal.
The three optical bodies have put aside their previous differences regarding the financial fallout of the five-day tribunal and found an 'amicable settlement'.
The disagreement flared up following the November VAT sitting in London, which found in favour of the profession against Customs & Excise.
However, employers' body FODO issued a writ on the two other optical bodies involved in the tribunal, the AOP and ABDO, after they had supported the Leightons/Eye-Tech case.
FODO backed a separate case Ð Specsavers VisionPlus Ð and sought 60 per cent of unquantified costs for running the case.
At the start of the year AOP chairman Elizabeth Frost said the claim was 'unjustified' and 'a pointless legal action'.
At no time did FODO issue a public statement on the writ.
When the writ was served there was still doubt as to whether Customs would launch an appeal against the verdict, and FODO included in its claim the cost of any appeal brought.
In the event, Customs did not appeal and the inter-optical body matter has been resolved several months later.
A consent order, signed by the parties' solicitors on October 4, ordered the claim to be discontinued with no order relating to costs.
A statement representing all three bodies, and issued this week, said: 'To resolve the present matter in the wider interests of all three memberships, FODO has agreed not to pursue its claim against ABDO and the AOP.'