Charity Shops Pleas Fall On Deaf Ears

Charity Shops in the UK are shocked at the Governments plans to support the proposal to remove the charity exemptions from paying fees to Phonographic Performance Limited, which represents the interests of music producers and performers.

The plan is for charity shops to be charged individually should they choose to play music in their shop and the Association of Charity Shops which represents more than 300 charities that have shops, says its members will have to pay an average of £1,800 a year if they want to continue playing music.

Mark Burdett of NCi Charity, the UK Charity Insurance Broker and Charity Shop Insurance Experts had this to say, "With illegal downloads of music and the music industry changing so much in recent years, it's clear that musicians, composers and publishers are trying all they can to protect their income. I think it's a shame that the Phonographic Performance Limited and the Government couldn't have come to some agreement whereby charity shops weren't hit by this additional cost. Charity Shops have struggled in recent times and this decision isn't going to help them."

Mark also commented, "In The Beatles song Taxman, the fab four sing about the Government taxing everything possible. I'm sure UK Charity Shops are thinking something similiar at the moment!"