Generali's 12 days of Christmas Quiz.

Generali

I've got:

2 pr smart shoes (decent Loakes Oxford brogues)
1 pr slob shoes
1 pr loafers
1 pr chelsea boots
1 pr sandals
1 pr safety work boots (steel toe capped)
2 prs football boots (which reminds me, I must throw 1 pair out)
1 pr wellies
1 pr cycling shoes
1 pr trainers
1 pr kayaking shoes (sand shoes)
1 pr slippers (slightly eaten)

So that's 12 pairs. Wow, I would have guessed I had 12 shoes in total maximum let alone 12 pairs!!!

Masomnia

1 Pair of smart shoes.
1 'every day' pair.
1 For work.
1 Walking boots.
1 slippers, if they count.

pqrdef

2 pairs that I wear
1 best pair for weddings and funerals
10 old pairs that I haven't thrown away yet

pqrdef

An Aldi till receipt shows the VAT on each item. I spent £120 and paid VAT of £3.16. All the VAT was on non-food items like bin liners and bleach.

All the food was zero-rated, and not because I'm a disciple of healthy eating. There were no actual salt-n-vinegar or ginger nuts on my list, but there were various other snacky/biscuity/junky things. Of course there's no clear or rational place to draw a line round the taxable foods, but in practice the line seems to be drawn very narrowly.

Generali

pqrdef wrote: »

An Aldi till receipt shows the VAT on each item. I spent £120 and paid VAT of £3.16. All the VAT was on non-food items like bin liners and bleach.

All the food was zero-rated, and not because I'm a disciple of healthy eating. There were no actual salt-n-vinegar or ginger nuts on my list, but there were various other snacky/biscuity/junky things. Of course there's no clear or rational place to draw a line round the taxable foods, but in practice the line seems to be drawn very narrowly.

The whole thing seems crazy to me:

You pay VAT on maternity pads but not incontinence pads.

You pay VAT on renovated a normal building but not a listed one.

You pay VAT on a holiday let on a moored houseboat but not one that goes up and down the canal or river

You pay VAT on an ornamental cabbage but not on a regular one

You pay VAT on orange juice but not on oranges

You pay VAT on bicarb of soda but not baking powder

You pay VAT on sandwiches bought for a party but not for yourself

You pay VAT on chocolate shortcake but if you add some caramel to make it into millionaires shortbread you pay no VAT

Baked Alaska is zero rated, ice cream cake is not

Herbal tea is zero rated unless it is sold as a laxative

It would probably cheaper for business, Government and consumers to charge VAT on everything at 8% or something.

vivatifosi

Generali wrote: »

It would probably cheaper for business, Government and consumers to charge VAT on everything at 8% or something.

I'd like to see VAT at zero for healthy food and full for snack and rubbish foods. If it's got over x% sugar in it, put VAT on it. If it's got over x% fat in it, put VAT on it. If it's got too much salt in it, put VAT on it. The only exceptions should be basic simple foods, uncooked meat, fish, veggies, fruit, basic dairy, real juices (not "juice drinks") etc as obviously you get a lot of sugar in some fruits and meats and butter for example can/will be fatty. Plus if people cook from scratch they will, on the whole, eat more healthily as they will realise what they are putting in their bodies.

I think putting VAT at 8% for everything could cause unnecessary hardship for those families who spend a disproportionate amount of money on food shopping.

It can't change though, AIUI we are the only country, or one of only a handful of countries that don't pay VAT on food and the others pay at the lowest rate of 5%.

sss555s

I always remember that jaffa cake argument. Is it a cake or a biscuit?

No VAT is charged on cakes or biscuits but 20% VAT is charged on chocolate covered biscuits.

It's always been a biscuit to me :beer:

Generali

vivatifosi wrote: »

I'd like to see VAT at zero for healthy food and full for snack and rubbish foods. If it's got over x% sugar in it, put VAT on it. If it's got over x% fat in it, put VAT on it. If it's got too much salt in it, put VAT on it. The only exceptions should be basic simple foods, uncooked meat, fish, veggies, fruit, basic dairy, real juices (not "juice drinks") etc as obviously you get a lot of sugar in some fruits and meats and butter for example can/will be fatty. Plus if people cook from scratch they will, on the whole, eat more healthily as they will realise what they are putting in their bodies.

I take the point but respond in 2 ways:

1. Who decides what is healthy and unhealthy? Often when I've been cycling and then 'bonked' a coke or a Mars bar is just what I need to get me home. A few muesli bars in the back pocket of my shirt keep me fuelled so I don't bonk in the first place. I put sugar in vegetable stir fries, a very healthy dish but they just want a little sweet to go with the sour &/or spice.
2. Who are you (or anyone else) to decide who should eat what? Reading is a sedentary activity. Why not tax that to support sporting facilities?

I'm being provocative here and I don't want to start an argument but the above examples explain why I'm a Libertarian. If someone wants to read or take cocaine or drink or cycle or hug trees or stand naked in a field screaming at the moon then let them IMHO. If you harm nobody else then you shouldn't be stopped or discouraged from doing whatever it is you want to do no matter if it's 'bad' for you.

vivatifosi

Generali wrote: »

I take the point but respond in 2 ways:

1. Who decides what is healthy and unhealthy? Often when I've been cycling and then 'bonked' a coke or a Mars bar is just what I need to get me home. A few muesli bars in the back pocket of my shirt keep me fuelled so I don't bonk in the first place. I put sugar in vegetable stir fries, a very healthy dish but they just want a little sweet to go with the sour &/or spice.
2. Who are you (or anyone else) to decide who should eat what? Reading is a sedentary activity. Why not tax that to support sporting facilities?

I'm being provocative here and I don't want to start an argument but the above examples explain why I'm a Libertarian. If someone wants to read or take cocaine or drink or cycle or hug trees or stand naked in a field screaming at the moon then let them IMHO. If you harm nobody else then you shouldn't be stopped or discouraged from doing whatever it is you want to do no matter if it's 'bad' for you.

Well, I was trying to suggest a better system. If we aren't going to pay tax on purchases, then it should be very basic foodstuffs, not tortilla chips. Though anything I say, or you say, or anyone else says won't change anything because its fooked! I'm not suggesting a Mars Bar (or cocaine for that matter) should or shouldn't be illegal, just that they should be taxed as there's no reason not to. Anyhow, if you only have one after a bike ride, as opposed to laying on the sofa like a lardarse only eating Mars bars as I feel like doing today, the impact on your money will be negligible and it shouldn't matter;).

HAMISH_MCTAVISH

vivatifosi wrote: »

they should be taxed as there's no reason not to.

Our default position should always presume against taxation, unless a credible case can be made to the contrary.

That people have become so inured to the concept of taxation on everything is a sad state of affairs.