If You Could Drop Vat From One Item, What Would It Be?

[AB Editor]

Afternoon,

Someone sent us a message about this quite funny e-peition for No.10:

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/39857

"STOP VAT on Morrisons chicken

Responsible department: Her Majesty's Treasury

STOP VAT on chicken ....... its simple.

im sick of the government putting VAT up, everyone should have a treat in life, and my is chicken from morrisons.

my jaw dropped when the staff at morrisons told me how much the VAT went up on the chicken.

CANT ENJOY ANYTHING"

While it's a little bit funny in itself, if you could completely drop VAT on one item of shopping, or one expense, what would it be?

[MadMen]

Hahaha! Did someone from AB send you that? Lol it's hilarious :D

I need time to think about what I'd drop the VAT on....

[AB Editor]

If it had to just be something from your weekly shop, what would it be?

I reckon bacon, or chorizo.

[MadMen]

Mmmm chorizo :))

I reckon chocolate, or cheese!

[Bbbananas]

Eggs.
And red wine (medicinal).

[ToraToraTora]

Is there VAT on chicken? Anyway if they mean duty generally then VAT is a small prt of that. Can we drop duty on lager?

[MadMen]

The biggest expense on my weekly shop is water, so probably that.
Oh, and organic veg.

Actually, thinking about it, we pay a premium to be 'healthy', don't we.

[MadMen]

The price of eggs is ridiculous, considering they're months old.

[Baldric]

GIN.

[gingejbee]

Ed: bacon etc doesn't have VAT levied .

[LazyGun]

I would quite like them to drop the VAT on Porsches - might be able to afford one then :)

[ummmm]

Clothes.

[LazyGun]

Ahh did not see the qualification of "weekly shop" - A Porsche would be difficult to fit into the shopping trolley...

Morrisons came up with a wheeze to get around this - they put some cooked chicken on a cool-down shelf right next to the hot food shelf - And apparently that gets around the VAT on cooked foods.....

[Fitzer]

Most foods don't carry VAT so your bacon is already safe AB, I assume the starter of the petition is choosing hot, cooked chicken which counts as takeaway and therefore has VAT. Me I'd choose beer produced by small brewers who make less than a certain amount per year, maybe 7500 pints.

[MadMen]

Ah, it's any expense, not just food? In that case, I would drop the VAT on fake tan and eyelashes! :)

[VHG]

>>>>Is there VAT on chicken?

I think there is if they sell it pre-cooked from their hot counter.

My local Morrisons takes the chicken out the hot counter and puts it on a table to "cool down", and that does not incur VAT.

What a silly situation.

http://www.empireclaims.co.uk/blog/index.php/has-osborne-cooked-his-goose-with-roast-chicken-tax/

[codswallop]

PETROL !!!!!

[FredPuli43]

"Legal services" as HMRC describes the services provided by barristers and solicitors. We all know how essential to life those are, and how cheap they would be without the VAT. And they're a nuisance to counsel because counsel never have much in the way of deductions ! One decided to return 'nil' as his deductions over several quarters, because he couldn't be fussed by the petty paperwork and time involved in claiming a few pounds. He was visited by a VAT inspector, complaining. So, after that, he just invented a figure and got no further complaint.

Ed, I didn't think that chorizo, or any foodstuff not prepared for you to order (think pasties) was vatable

[daffy654]

Clothing and footwear.

[daffy654]

///The biggest expense on my weekly shop is water, so probably that. ///

Why would anyone pay for water when you already pay for it to be pumped to your taps?

I know tap water doesn't taste very nice, but invest in a Brita water jug and some filters and you will save yourself a fortune in the long term, I know I have :)

[AB Editor]

"Ed: bacon etc doesn't have VAT levied"

Excellent, my wish has come true!

What I'm really saying though is "more bacon please" :)