It's always a thrill when the worlds of taxation and hairdressing collide.

It could be argued that the two professions share a mystical bond. (After all, there are probably some tax experts who care about the state of their curls.)

So, it's with no little giddiness that I can report that scissor jockeys around the UK have 'come together in an unprecedented campaign to drive down VAT charged on salon services'.

The National Hairdressers’ Federation has launched the Cut the VAT campaign, with help from Habia ('the government-approved standards-setting body for the hair, beauty, nails and spa industry'), the Fellowship of British Hairdressing, and the Freelance Hair and Beauty Federation.

'VAT on hairdressing is just a direct tax... that comes straight out of clients' pockets,' claims the accompanying website.

Ah-ha!

So that's how high street crimpers justify charging £150 for doing little more than rubbing follicle-destroying chemicals into a customer's mane.

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