“Mae'n hanfodol i ni gael gwared ar y rhwystrau sy’n atal pobl rhag defnyddio eli haul ac mae ymchwil eisoes i ddangos bod yr arbedion hirdymor yn llawer mwy na'r golled o ran refeniw TAW” – Sioned Williams AS
Mae Sioned Williams AS wedi sicrhau cytundeb gan Lywodraeth Cymru i edrych ar gael gwared ar TAW o bris eli haul.
Pelydrau UV o’r haul yw prif achos canser y croen, ac allan o bedair gwlad y DG, Cymru sydd â’r gyfradd uchaf o ganser y croen.
Mae canser y croen yn cyfrif am bron i hanner yr holl achosion o ganser yng Nghymru ac mae Sioned Williams AS wedi bod yn codi pryderon ynghylch cost eli haul a allai fod yn ffactor o ran bod pobl yn defnyddio llai nag y dylent.
Mae'r Aelod o'r Senedd dros Orllewin De Cymru wedi cyflwyno dadl i’r Senedd ar bwnc canser y croen yn y gorffennol gan dynnu sylw at y rôl y gall ysgolion ei chwarae wrth helpu i leihau cyfraddau uchel Cymru.
Ar ddechrau mis Mai, ysgrifennodd Sioned Williams AS at Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol, Jeremy Miles AS, gan dynnu sylw at y ffaith bod cynnydd mewn costau byw dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf wedi gwthio pris eli haul i fyny, sy'n golygu bod nifer o bobl naill ai'n lleihau faint o eli haul maen nhw'n eu defnyddio neu'n mynd hebddo, a'i fod yn dod o dan yr un gyfradd TAW â chynhyrchion cosmetig, er gwaethaf y ffaith bod eli haul yn rhan hanfodol o ddiogelu iechyd y croen.
Yn y llythyr, dywedodd Sioned Williams AS:
“Er fy mod yn gwybod bod TAW yn fater sydd dan reolaeth San Steffan, a gaf i ofyn a fyddech chi o blaid cefnogi dileu TAW ar eli haul, ac a fyddech chi'n fodlon codi hyn gyda'ch cydweithwyr yn Llywodraeth y DG?”
Yn ei ymateb, cadarnhaodd Jeremy Miles y byddai Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Gyllid a'r Iaith Gymraeg yn "hapus" i godi'r mater gyda Llywodraeth y DG.
Dywedodd Sioned Williams AS, Aelod Senedd Plaid Cymru dros Orllewin De Cymru:
“Er bod modd trin canser y croen a bod y gyfradd goroesi yn uchel, mewn llawer o achosion, mae hefyd yn gwbl ataliadwy. Mae cost achosion o ganser y croen hefyd mor uchel – i gleifion, i deuluoedd, ac i’n GIG.
“Ond er gwaethaf ei rôl hanfodol wrth amddiffyn ein hiechyd, mae eli haul ar hyn o bryd yn cael ei drin fel cynnyrch cosmetig ac yn dod o dan y gyfradd TAW lawn.
“Mae cael gwared ar y rhwystrau sy’n atal pobl rhag defnyddio eli haul yn hanfodol ac mae ymchwil eisoes i ddangos bod yr arbedion hirdymor yn llawer mwy na’r golled refeniw o TAW.
“Rwy’n falch bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn ymateb i alwadau Plaid Cymru ar y mater pwysig hwn.”
Llythyrau
Llythyr gan Sioned Williams AS at Jeremy Miles AS, 01/05/2025 (yn Saesneg):
Annwyl Jeremy Miles,
Last year I held a short debate on the subject of skin cancer and the role that schools can play in helping to reduce rates.
I drew upon the work of Dr. Julie Peconi and others at Swansea University in their Sunproofed project, which shows that too few schools are providing sun safety education.
Wales has the highest rate of skin cancer in the UK, and 1 in 5 of us will get skin cancer in our lives.
While treatment is highly effective, there is both a considerable cost to patients, their families, and the NHS. This cost is avoidable, as up to half of all incidences can be prevented through better sun protection measures.
While education is essential, in many conversations that I've had, it is the cost of sunscreen that remains a concern. Cost of living increases in recent years has pushed up the price of sunscreen, meaning that many are either applying too little sunscreen or are going without.
A former SNP MP, Amy Callaghan, led a campaign to remove VAT from sun protection products. At the moment, these products are subject to the same rate of VAT as cosmetic products, despite sunscreen being an essential part in safeguarding skin health.
In August last year, Melanoma Focus published a report that modelled the impact of removing VAT on sunscreen. It found that cutting VAT from SPF 30+ sunscreen could save the NHS across the UK £128 million annually in treatment costs, a saving which more than covers the revenue lost by removing VAT (£67m). The report also highlighted that up to 3,200 cases of melanoma skin cancer could be prevented annually over the next decade and 300 lives per year saved.
While I know that VAT is a reserved matter, can I ask whether you would be minded to support the removal of VAT on sunscreen, and would you be willing to raise this with your colleagues in the UK Government?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yn gywir / Yours faithfully,
Sioned Williams AS/MS
Llythyr gan Jeremy Miles AS at Sioned Williams AS, 02/06/2025 (yn Saesneg):
Dear Sioned,
Thank you for your letter about removing VAT from the price of sunscreen.
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language has indicated he would be happy to raise your suggestion with Ministers in the UK Government and has asked his officials to contact the relevant UK Government officials to do so.
Thank you for writing to me about this important issue.
Yours sincerely,
Jeremy Miles AS/MS