Firm agrees to cut cost of Covid test by half after Telegraph exposed rip-off prices for holidaymakers
One of Britain’s leading Covid testing firms has slashed its PCR test prices for holidaymakers just days after The Telegraph exposed profiteering by the industry.
Randox announced it will charge customers flying with its partner airlines just £60 for the tests that are currently being sold by private companies for an average of about £130.
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An investigation by The Telegraph found some companies on the Government’s approved list of firms were charging up to £300 for “out of hours” weekend tests, six times the amount offered by their best-value competitors.
The Government has provoked a backlash from consumers and the travel industry by saying all holidaymakers returning to the UK should pay for at least one gold standard PCR test, even if they have arrived from a “safe” green list country and have been vaccinated.
Randox, which is currently quoted on its website at £120 for a home testing kit, is the first to slash its prices following a warning by Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, that he would remove any firms caught profiteering from the Government-approved list of testing companies.
Its partner airlines have not been identified, but they are thought to be major carriers and the discount will be available ahead of the summer.
Another Government-approved testing firm, Cignpost Diagnostics, is among the cheapest, charging just £60 for a PCR test at Gatwick and £80 at Heathrow, Birmingham and Edinburgh airports
On Tuesday night Willie Walsh, the former boss of BA and current head of the international airlines association IATA, urged the Government to go further and ditch its VAT charges for PCR tests which he said were “rubbing the salt in the wounds” of rip off PCR prices.
He told The Telegraph: “Studies show that antigen tests can be as effective as PCR tests. By mandating PCR testing unnecessarily the Government forces consumers to pay high prices for testing, often to companies who are exploiting the health crisis with the excessive fees they charge.
“On top of this, the Government rubs salt in the wounds of consumers by charging VAT on these rip-off fees.”
The Telegraph exposed on Tuesday how HM Treasury is raking in tens of thousands of pounds from charging 20 per cent VAT on PCR tests despite zero-rating PPE Covid protective equipment.
Asked whether the Government would think again on charging VAT on PCR tests after the disclosure, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said on Tuesday: “We’re looking at ways...to make these tests accessible and affordable to the public.
“We’ve already set out how we would reduce the number of tests required, which would obviously save money. And we will continue looking at options as we go forward. I think the thing to do is wait until we set out the detail on our approach.”
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