VAT rise hiding a new hike in food prices?

pavlovs_dog

just wondered if anyone else had noticed this?

we went to tescos this morning to do a top up shop. due to an imminent house move we are trying to run down the cupboards and freezer so we only needed bits rather than a full shop.

although we did not buy any extravagences, we managed to spend exactly the same on a top up shop as we would on a full weeks worth of shopping :eek:

i've checked and double checked the receipt and we dont appear to have been overcharged for items. i'm flabbagasted that yogurts, fruit and veg could come to so much! we're definitly going back to aldi from next week.

andrealm

I don't know why the prices have gone up but there is no VAT on foods like fruit,veg and yoghurts, only on "luxury" foods and drinks.

Some fruit can be expensive at this time of year if it's out of season.

VfM4meplse

You may have noticed that Tesco's pre-Christmas frenzy of TV advertising has left a void in the commercial slots...this is the time of year prices are hiked up deliberately to demonstrate what new "savings" can be made for the next promotional season.

I for one can't go hungry for the next 6 weeks, but I can do my best to run the freezer down in this time...:rotfl:

pink_numbers

andrealm wrote: »

I don't know why the prices have gone up but there is no VAT on foods like fruit,veg and yoghurts, only on "luxury" foods and drinks.

It's embarrassing to admit this, but I didn't know that!! :rotfl:

Butterfly_Brain

It will get worse, if as predicted the Government hikes diesel and petrol prices by 20p a litre we will all be paying more for basics:eek:

I was going to empty my store cupboard but I am now considering buying as much as I can now

allydowd

andrealm wrote: »

I don't know why the prices have gone up but there is no VAT on foods like fruit,veg and yoghurts, only on "luxury" foods and drinks.

It's a bit more complicated than that:

You would pay VAT on frozen yogurt.

You don't pay VAT on raw potatoes but you pay VAT on potatoes that are packaged for human consumption without further preparation like in potato crisps.

You can get a fuller list at:

HMRC site

ginnyknit

I think the prices were already being sneaked up here and there by pennies as my frugal shopping has been rising steadily over the last few weeks. I found a little shopping centre not far from here yesterday where I can park and use the wheelchair for hubby easily. theres an Aldi, home bargains and Iceland so thats quite handy for us. Definately going to avoid Mr T's as much as possible.

allydowd

If you ask me some companies are using dodgy advertising tactics over the VAT rise. For example,

My local Lidl has a leaflet that seems to say that it will not be increasing the VAT from 15% to 17.5% on 1st Jan.

However, by law, they must charge 17.5%. The law is the law.

What they are actually doing is reducing the net price and charging 17.5% so that the price at the till is the same as before the VAT increase.

So, if that is what retailers are doing why don't they say as much instead of lying to the customer and making them think they are ignoring Darling?!?