Minister told VAT on car baby seats too high for poor families

Minister for Transport Martin Cullen yesterday launched a campaign aimed at ensuring baby seats in cars were correctly fitted and walked straight into a row about high levels of VAT on the seats.

Representatives from British baby seat manufacturers Britax claimed less well-off parents were prevented from buying a new generation child safety seats, because of higher rates of VAT which apply in Ireland.

Britax's stance was supported by child seat retailers Tony and Paul Kealy, who said the VAT rate in Ireland was 21 per cent compared with just 5 per cent in Britain and some other European countries.

Tony Kealy said he had raised the issue with Mr Cullen last November, but was still awaiting a response.

The National Safety Council had chosen both Britax and the Kealys, who operate Dublin-based baby equipment stores, as its partners in a "Check It Fits" roadshow, sponsored by Bupa, which will visit Dublin and regional cities this month.

The roadshow will visit shopping centres offering free safety checks and advice for parents whose children travel in cars.

But at the unveiling of the roadshow by Mr Cullen yesterday, Mark Bennett of Britax said parents who could not afford to buy first-hand were missing out on a new generation of child safety seats designed to resist side impacts and prevent neck and spinal injuries.

Mr Bennett said the VAT difference was important as experience had shown that less well-off parents were most likely to borrow seats from family members or buy seats second-hand.

In tests, the seats most frequently found to be defective were those used by low-income families, he said.

Recent research into car and child seat safety showed that older and improperly fitted car seats which did not adequately cushion children offered a lower level of protection, which could be critical in certain circumstances.

After the ceremony, Mr Cullen revealed he had raised the issue with Minister for Finance Brian Cowen, who has responsibility for VAT policy. Mr Cullen said he believed the issue was "worthy of consideration".

National Safety Council spokesman Brian Farrell said it "would love" to see a lower rate of VAT on car-safety seats.

Alan Richardson, acting chief executive, said: "Many child seats are incompatible with the car or with the child, or are simply fitted incorrectly.

"Parents move their babies from a rearward facing child car seat to a forward facing one too soon, and they let their children upgrade to using a seat-belt on its own at too early an age."

The "Check It Fits" roadshow will visit Blanchardstown Shopping Centre on Saturday, September 17th; Nutgrove Shopping Centre on Sunday, September 18th; Ardkeen in Waterford on Monday the 19th; Mahon Point in Cork on Tuesday the 20th; and Galway Shopping Centre on Wednesday, September 21st.