A LANDMARK case has been won against the VAT man over a dispute involving a Blackburn firm.

Anthony Land, a franchisee of spectacle manufacturer Crown Eyeglass, took Customs & Excise to a tribunal over a ruling.

VAT officers claimed that Mr Land, of Eastbourne, was not entitled to a refund on fees charged for dispensing glasses because his staff were not directly supervised by a registered optician.

But accountants disputed the claim and argued that Crown Eyeglass franchisees were "highly trained people who only needed the lightest of supervision".

"The tribunal ruling removes a huge burden from opticians up and down the country who feared an increase in VAT costs would threaten their businesses," said Andy Ditchfield of accountants Arthur Anderson who handled the case.

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