Assisted Purchase / Vat Free Scheme



How does this scheme operate?

The Assisted Instrument Purchase Scheme enables pupils at Local Education Authority Schools, who receive lessons as part of the school curriculum to obtain an instrument without paying the VAT.

Take this saving and our normal discounted prices into account and this can lead to savings of over 50% on some instruments.

This procedure has the approval of HM Customs and Excise and was reviewed by the VAT office in 1994.

How do we order the instrument?

Most establishments are able to order the instrument directly on your behalf. You select the instrument you require either with our or your teachers help. Then request that the school raise an official order to be sent/faxed to us. Please quote our Hampshire County Council contract number HS/0853 on the order if at all possible. Normally you will be required to pay the VAT free amount to the school at the time of ordering. We will then despatch the instrument to school and invoice the school accordingly. The school then pays the invoice, which will include VAT, but this will be reclaimed through their normal accounting procedure.

The rules you must follow: -

1. The student must be in full time education at an L.E.A school.

2. The student must be receiving weekly tuition at school as part of their curriculum.

3. The instrument must be appropriate for the pupil's needs. An absolute beginner should not acquire a handmade  professional instrument for example.

4. The instrument must be portable (No grand pianos!)

5. The instrument must be handed to the pupil on school premises.

6. The instrument must be charged to the pupil / pupil's parents either at, or below, the music service cost excluding VAT.

 

  Did you know ...............

That when children study music in school, they also improve their reading, spelling and mathematical skills?

Educators agree that abstract concepts such as counting, fractions and ratios become more concrete when applied in a musical context, making the relationship between mathematical theory and practice noticeably clearer. Music increases a student's learning capabilities in many other areas, as various studies show:

In 1987 to 1989, students taking music scored an average of 20 to 40 points higher on both verbal and mathematical portions of the SAT's than students who took no arts courses.

During the same period, students who took more than four years of music and the other arts scored 34 points better on verbal SAT's than those who took music for less than a year.

 

 

Students who participate in their school band or orchestra are 52 percent more likely to go on to college and graduate.

A recent study discovered that music students have the highest rate of admittance to medical schools.

Studies from various countries have demonstrated that along with these benefits, there is a significant relationship between music instruction and education performance in reading, spelling, mathematics, listening and verbal abilities, and motor skills.

 

Download our VAT Free Order Form here

 

Reproduced with permission from " Your Child's Future with Music "

published by United Musical Instruments