MPs have pledged to "seek answers" from the government in response to the "clearly unfair" exclusion of independent pharmacies from its £2,000 Employment Allowance.

Independents at the heart of communities needed financial support during the economic recovery and the government should "reconsider its position", chair of the all-party pharmacy group (APPG) Sir Kevin Barron told C+D.

Shadow health minister Jamie Reed told C+D that the exemption, which C+D last week launched a campaign to overturn, "makes no sense".

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	The tax break excludes businesses that carry out more than half of their work for the public sector, including the NHS. But vice-chair of the APPG and Conservative MP Oliver Colvile said independents should be treated like other small businesses and that he would write to health minister Jeremy Hunt about the policy.

Sir Kevin said that the government should support independents as they look to deliver "an increasing number of additional services".

The NPA, Independent Pharmacy Federation and Numark have written to the government to get the policy overturned.

Contractors have responded with anger to the exemption, claiming that the policy is "prejudiced" and a "smack in the face" to the sector.

C+D is urging pharmacists to use the draft letter provided on our campaign page to contact their local MP to get the policy changed.

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