VAT waived for X Factor charity single

British Chancellor Alistair Darling announced today that the government will waive VAT on the sale of the X Factor finalists’ charity single 'Hero'.

An exceptional one-off charitable donation will be made, equivalent to the sum of the VAT receipts collected on its sales.

Mr Darling said he wanted to ensure that every penny people pay for the record goes to support the work of Help For Heroes, who provide care for men and women wounded in the line of service.

He said: “I very much support the Help For Heroes campaign and the efforts of the X Factor contestants.

“In recognition of this I am proposing effectively to waive VAT on the sale of the X Factor Help For Heroes single, and will do this by making an exceptional one-off charitable donation equivalent to the sum of the VAT receipts collected on sales of the single.”