Government should pay for the PCR Test or abolish the requirement

Published on : Wednesday, August 11, 2021

The government of Boris Johnson is being requested to fund costly PCR tests which can massively increase the trip cost to abroad for many vacations.

The World Travel & Tourism Council ( WTTC ) has explained that the UK government should pay the cost of extremely expensive and unnecessary PCR tests for fully jabbed citizens, which are discouraging British travelers from going international.

Sajid Javid, the UK Health Secretary, has requested the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to intervene and look into ‘excessive’ pricing and ‘exploitative practices’ among PCR Covid test firms.

This follows extensive reports of major differences that travelers pay for PCR tests by different companies.

At present, PCR test cost differs a lot between providers, with the average costing around £75. Few firms within 90 minutes are providing express PCR test results at a cost of up to £400.

In Europe, this makes UK PCR tests among the costliest – partly due to the 20 per cent VAT charge applied on top.