26 July 07
Flood
aid in the offing
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BTA will call on the government to
offer temporary tax breaks to flood-hit agents and operators if enough
members come forward.
The association would be following in
the steps of the British Hospitality Association, which made the same
plea on behalf of its members.
The BHA called for a six-month
moratorium on payments such as VAT and PAYE for firms whose premises
have been damaged.
An Abta spokesman said: “We would
certainly consider going to government with this kind of request, but
we’d need more members to come forward first.”
Some agents in the south and south-west
were forced to shut up shop following record rainfall.
Stephanie Jepson, manager of Courtney
World Travel in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, was unable to open on
Saturday. Forced to paddle to work on Monday, she said the scene was
“like a war zone”, adding: “I waded in with my wellies, and phoned
clients I had travelling this week.
“We had clients who were due to fly
this week who’ve had to cancel their holiday because their house was
flooded.”
Thomson’s store in Farnham, Surrey,
was closed last Friday due to flash flooding. The shop is likely to be
shut for 10 days. Thomas Cook and Travelcare closed their branches in
Tewkesbury due to a no-go area set up in the town.
Concerned agents rallied to offer
assistance to those in affected areas, with north-west miniple St
Andrews Travel even offering spare office space for those displaced.
Travel Counsellors said its intranet
was full of messages from agents offering help to those in the worst-hit
areas.
Meanwhile, Barclays Business Banking is
offering repayment “holidays” on loans and extended overdraft
facilities to those affected.
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