It doesn’t extend to cars. Motability have a special legislative exemption. The only time you can purchase a car vat free outside of motability is if BOTH the following conditions are met: a. You are a wheelchair user. (somebody who uses one all the time) b. The car will be permanently and substantially adapted. This is also why there can be no challengers to Motability. It would require specific legislation to exempt them from vat. (being a charity would not be enough) If the vat hurdle was so easy to overcome, there would be multiple challengers to motability already. It’d be a hugely profitable sector.
It’s funny, you first say that “it doesn’t extend to cars”, to then explain to me that it does extend to cars.
What you seem to ignore is that the guy said “Government already offers VAT free purchases on items for disabled people, extend it to cars“. This only applies to stuff that’s either designed or adapted specifically to your disability. I said that those VAT free purchases on items for disabled people already extends to cars. I don’t need to point out that they need to be specifically adapted, since that’s the main stipulation with the entire argument (VAT free stuff for disabled needs).
The point very much was the one you made: it requires (extensive) legislation to be able to implement his “easy solution”. You’re of course correct that if there was an easy solution like it was suggested, the market would be flooded fast. Investors would jump at the opportunity.
There’s no easy solution here, and more importantly, it’s actually quite hard to come up with any solution that doesn’t have unintended negative side effects. Starting with the obvious: as soon as something becomes “for profit”, the poorer people get shafted. Royally. Just need to look at the US to see what happens if sectors become competitive, be it prisons for profit, schools for profit, healthcare for profit – support for disabled for profit inevitably will lead to exploitation. Even more so than already is happening.
Prior: SEAT Ateca Xcellence Lux 1.5 TSI DSG MY19, VW Golf GTE PHEV DSG MY23
Current: Hyundai Ioniq 6 Ultimate
Next: we'll see what's available in 2028.