Category Archives: VAT Did you know

A VAT Did you know?

By   22 January 2024

Size matters Part III – Bay plants are VAT free – as long as they are no bigger than 50cm and they have not been clipped or shaped.

A VAT Did you know?

By   18 December 2023

Chestnuts roasting by an open fire…

Roasted nuts in shells are zero rated, but if the shell is removed they become standard rated.

Ho, ho ho… VAT and nuts in the same sentence. Merry Christmas everybody.

A VAT Did you know?

By   27 November 2023

We know that size matters for VAT – see marshmallows. Also, if you buy a small amount of bicarbonate of soda it is VAT free. However, bigger tubs are VATable.

A VAT Did you know?

By   12 October 2023

We know that burying a deceased person is exempt, but exhumation is standard rated and we now know, thanks to the UK Funerals On-line Ltd FTT case, that the service of the repatriation of the body of a deceased person can be viewed as either an exempt supply of funeral services or a zero-rated supply of transport services.

This being the case, zero rating trumps exemption via of The VAT Act 1994, section 30(1).

A VAT Did you know?

By   20 September 2023

Dance classes in some EU countries are subject to different VAT rates depending on whether the dance style is considered artistic or entertainment. In the UK, belly dancing and ceroc lessons are standard rated, but ballet is exempt.

A VAT Did you know?

By   29 August 2023

Hard or soft? Stiff or floppy?

Sssh at the back, this is important…

Whether cakes and biscuits go hard or soft when stale helps to determine whether they are indeed cakes or biscuits (cakes go hard, biscuits go soft). This is the difference between VAT at 20% and zero rating for some products – yes… Jaffa Cakes!.

Whether printed matter is stiff or floppy can also result in either 20% or zero rated treatment. In this case, for single sheet products, eg; leaflets, limp is good and hard can result in the VAT hit.

What did you think I was talking about? Stop making up your own jokes…

A VAT Did you know?

By   27 July 2023

Popcorn is standard rated, but microwavable popcorn is VAT free.

A VAT Did you know?

By   26 June 2023

In this hot weather it is important to drink sufficient fluids. If you buy a bottle of water, you will pay VAT, but milk is zero rated.

A VAT Did you know?

By   25 May 2023

The sale of ducks is zero rated, but racing pigeons are standard rated.

A VAT Did you know?

By   27 April 2023

Eels, salmon and trout are VAT free when sold dead or alive, but bream, perch, pike and tench are standard rated.