UK: New Prime Minister Andy Burnham will cut VAT on electricity bills from the start of October, exempting households in England, Scotland and Wales for six months. The measure will reduce average household bills by about £45 and cost the Treasury roughly £850m this financial year.
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TaxResearch · about 23 hours ago
The UK will remove VAT from electricity bills from October, cutting average annual bills by about £45 per household. The move is expected to reduce tax revenue by roughly £1.1 billion, but critics argue it does not address underlying grid capacity issues.
Guardian · 1 day ago
The UK government will remove VAT from electricity bills for households in Great Britain from 1 October 2026, reducing the annual price cap by £45. Northern Ireland will retain the 5% VAT rate, and the cut does not apply to gas.
VatCalc · 1 day ago
The United Kingdom has announced that domestic electricity bills will be zero-rated from 1 October 2026, reducing the VAT rate from 5% to 0%. The measure is temporary, applying until 31 March 2027, and will be funded by cancelling the planned Digital ID programme.
The Independent · 1 day ago
The UK government will remove VAT from domestic electricity bills from 1 October 2026, cutting the rate from 5% to 0%. The change is expected to save households around £45 a year and will be funded by cancelling the Digital ID programme.
The Independent · 1 day ago
In the UK, the government announced an £850 million tax cut on energy bills, making electricity bills VAT free from 1 October 2026 in England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland remains exempt because EU VAT rates apply under the Windsor Framework, preventing the cut from applying there.
BBC · 2 days ago
UK VAT will be cut from household electricity bills from 1 October, reducing the rate from 5% to zero and saving households about £45 a year. The cut is funded by savings from scrapping the digital ID programme and will apply to England, Scotland and Wales, with equivalent funding for Northern Ireland.
Key Takeaways
From 1 October 2026, households in England, Scotland and Wales will pay no VAT on electricity bills for six months.
Northern Ireland is excluded; the VAT cut applies only to households in England, Scotland and Wales.
The policy is expected to cost the Treasury around £850m for the current financial year.
The cut is projected to reduce the average household's annual electricity bill by about £45, based on Ofgem's current price cap.
Primary source
Read the full article at Energy DigitalThis summary was published on VATfaqs.com on 23 July 2026. It relates to VAT developments in United Kingdom. The original source is Energy Digital.
