Hammond told gym tax breaks can get Britons active again

THE Chancellor is being urged to introduce tax breaks on gym memberships and home fitness equipment.

Health experts are also calling for the expansion of the cycle to work scheme – which offers bikes as tax-free benefits – to a range of activities, in order to boost Britain’s activity levels.

Research has found that sitting for eight hours a day could increase the risk of premature death by up to 60 per cent. The Lancet study found that one hour’s activity daily could offset the potential harm of a day spent at the desk.

But almost one in four adults in England fails to achieve even half an hour of activity a week.

In a letter to Philip Hammond, ahead of the Budget, fitness experts and leading figures in the health sector called on the Treasury to introduce perks to spur workers to take more exercise.

The signatories, who include former health secretary Andrew Lansley, Prof Sir Muir Gray, an adviser to Public Health England (PHE), and Baroness Grey-thompson, chairman of fitness body ukactive, say such measures could have a major impact on Britain’s activity levels.

The letter warns that the British are now one of the least active nations in the world, ranked 123rd of 168 countries by the World Health Organisation.

And it says many employees who struggle to fit physical activity into long, busy working days might be pushed into doing so if financial incentives were in place.

Analysis suggests that while their proposed “workout from work” scheme would cost the Government and businesses around £145million annually, the economy would gain £2.60 for every £1 invested, in terms of improved health.

The letter says: “Office-based employees in the UK now spend up to three quarters of their day sitting – often for extended periods – and every year employee ill health negatively impacts UK businesses, despite the fact that much of it is preventable.”

Steven Ward, chief executive of ukactive, said: “Physical inactivity is the silent killer that has crept into our offices, so we need the government to work with the business community to re-imagine workplace culture.”