The Chancellor is facing renewed pressure from the retail industry to reintroduce tax-free shopping, amid new data from the Office for National statistics revealing that inbound visits are down in comparison to 2019 levels.

Dee Corsi, Chief Executive of the New West End Company, told the Daily Mail that “The UK’s failure to recover is concerning when compared to the uplift being seen elsewhere in Europe.

“The only factor that can explain a difference in growth is the removal of tax-free shopping, which puts us at a 20 per cent price disadvantage. Our fear is that as awareness of the tourist tax grows, our reputation as a leading global shopping destination will shrink.”

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