now they're really taking the biscuit....

[craftycarper 0]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7340101.stm

[SNAP SHOT 194]

Just wait till the jaffa cake debate.........................

[sue 1]

ive been buying 10 boxes a day for years lol

[Kay 3,709]

Oh i love them teacakes

[BlueCoyote 0]

um.. what?

i tried to understand that but fail to see how it matters if its a biscuit, cake, or cookie...... how'sit important? :wacko:

[ladyp 12]

Oh i love them teacakes with a nice cuppa.

[SportingShooter 0]

um.. what?

i tried to understand that but fail to see how it matters if its a biscuit, cake, or cookie...... how'sit important? :wacko:

If it were classed as a biscuit then it would command VAT of 17.5%. If it were a cake then it would not command VAT as they are expempt, so the people who have bought the product for however long it was have been paying VAT when its not necessary apparently.

[BlueCoyote 0]

still dont understand..... i mean i understand the part about "if it isnt then they dont" but .... is it a tax or something? we dont have a food tax in Florida so this is alien to me..

 

i dont see a difference between a cake or biscuit or scone or cookie.... its all flower eggs and sugar to some degree right?

[SportingShooter 0]

still dont understand..... i mean i understand the part about "if it isnt then they dont" but .... is it a tax or something? we dont have a food tax in Florida so this is alien to me..

 

i dont see a difference between a cake or biscuit or scone or cookie.... its all flower eggs and sugar to some degree right?

Apparently they are all different in our beloved chancellors eyes.

Yes its a tax, Value added tax(VAT)

VAT is added to almost all consumer goods at 17.5%, this is what it is on top of retail price e.g a loaf of bread say £10 retail would be £11.75. So if the loaf of bread were exempt then it would remain at £10 as Value Added Tax doesnt apply.

I thought the VAT rate in America was around 6%, maybe wrong.

[BlueCoyote 0]

something i've never thought much about lol never had to! its certainly something i'm going to find out though.. i was born without a sweet tooth and i am no fan of any sort of bread.... but.. i still dont like being ignorant over such things..

[SportingShooter 0]

something i've never thought much about lol never had to! its certainly something i'm going to find out though.. i was born without a sweet tooth and i am no fan of any sort of bread.... but.. i still dont like being ignorant over such things..

The bread thing was only an example, but i just remember hearing or reading somewhere the VAT in US was 6%, a lot less than over here, I can remember going shopping in the US and the price on the shelf didnt include VAT and they added it on at the till.

[Ossie 11]

i remeber seeing a QI where they were talking about something similar - McVities had a helluva job convincing the VAT man that jaffa cakes were indeed cakes, and not biscuits. they even baked a 12" jaffa cake to demonstrate it's true cakeyness.

the basic theory is that a when a biscuit goes stale it goes soft, whereas when a cake is stale it goes hard.

 

Jaffa Cakes

[Ratman2 2]

Why should any food have VAT on it, bloody Customs and Excise would skin a fart to gain a penny, blood suckers.

I'm a VAT registered business and it's a nightmare, the sodding rules change daily. I'm a member of FSB and recieve a monthly news letter from them, every month there's two or three pages of new VAT rules.

Rant over, I'll get my coat.