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Health charities get funding boost as government donates VAT on NHS Choir’s Christmas number one single.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, has yesterday announced that the government will donate the VAT on domestic sales of the Christmas No.1 single, “A Bridge Over You”, performed by the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir.

All proceeds from sales of the single are being donated to Carers UK, Mind, the Northern Ireland Association for Mental Health (NIAMH), the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) and regional charities.

In recognition of the support they provide through their work providing mental health and wellbeing across the UK, the government will make a donation to the charities equivalent to the UK VAT payable on the sales of the 2015 Christmas No.1 single, which has so far been download over 150,000 times.

George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer, said:

I was delighted to see the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS choir reach Christmas No.1 and it is great news that health charities like Mind and Carers UK are to benefit from the proceeds of the single.

The choir showcased the very best of the NHS and the charities it is supporting ensure that those experiencing a mental health problem and their carers get the valuable support they need. I hope this donation helps them continue their vital work.

The government has previously waived the VAT on the X Factor charity single, Save the Children single, Band Aid Ebola single, 2011’s Military Wives Choir single, and the 2010 Haiti earthquake appeal single.