AIP and 400-strong member base backs campaign for 0% VAT

The Association of Indoor Play (AIP) is leading a nationwide campaign calling for children’s indoor play admissions to be permanently zero-rated for VAT.

The campaign, launched in August 2026, is backed by AIP’s 400 member centres alongside other indoor play operators across the UK. More than 3000 people have also signed a Parliamentary petition supporting the proposal. AIP argues that charging the standard 20% VAT rate on indoor play conflicts with wider efforts to increase children’s physical activity, reduce screen time and improve physical and mental wellbeing.

The campaign follows the Government’s Great British Summer Savings scheme, which temporarily reduced VAT from 20% to 5% on eligible children’s admissions and food during the summer.

“What has been incredibly powerful since launching this campaign is seeing our industry come together behind it,” explains Maria Cantarella, CEO of the Association of Indoor Play.

“This is an issue our industry needs to speak about collectively. But this isn’t just an industry issue. Ultimately, it is families who pay the VAT through the price of admission.

“Most parents simply don’t realise that when they pay to take their child to an indoor play centre, part of that price is tax. Once you explain that children’s play is taxed at 20%, the obvious question is: why?”