A British spectacle designer popular with celebrities such as Victoria Beckham and Ed Sheeran has blasted the Government’s failure to scrap the ‘tourist tax’ driving away shoppers.
Tom Davies, dubbed the ‘Willy Wonka of eyewear’ for his vibrant creations made from unusual materials such as grass and crushed meteorites, said the decision to axe VAT-free shopping by the Conservatives in 2021 had left well-heeled visitors fuming.
‘I had one big-spending customer from the Far East who came in and asked if I had any dealers in Paris,’ Davies said. ‘She was so incensed by the tourist tax that I haven’t seen her since. I was livid, too.’
He said there was ‘an instant drop in trade’ when tax-free shopping was scrapped. His bespoke glasses have appeared in dozens of Hollywood films, including the Superman starring Henry Cavill, Cruella, The Matrix and, fittingly, Wonka. Angelina Jolie and Emma Stone are among his many fans.
Sharp focus: Emma Thompson sports a pair of Tom Davies for 2021 blockbuster Cruella
The Treasury has yet to remove the ban on tax-free shopping despite 500 firms backing The Mail on Sunday’s campaign to do so.
Davies says it remains a drag on the spending of customers, adding: ‘Some are still annoyed about it. Others are more stoical or have grudgingly come to accept that it’s the price of shopping in London.’
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