The takeaway tax: How price of your hot lunchtime snack will go up 20 per cent!! :O

So it would appear the budget is going to make a quick stop by the old Gregs a bit more expencive! Hot food bought from bakeries and supermarkets is to become more costly thanks to George Osborne's Budget, it emerged today.

The Chancellor has decided that VAT at 20 per cent should be added to all hot takeaway food, not just products sold by fast food chains.

What are your thoughts on this? my thoughts are noooooooooooooooo! :frown:

article explaining the tax increase below...

http://theoffshoreonline.com/articles/2012/03/22/uk-budget-2012-takeaway-tax-how-price-your-hot-lunchtime-snack-will-go-20-cent

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

+ polarity -

Pouring more water into a leaking bucket won't make the bucket any better at holding water.

:sigh:

Reply 2

Martyn*

Perhaps they are trying to get people to eat more healthly. That can only be a good thing providing that the healthy food is not too expensive. Of course, healthy food is often more expensive. Perhaps Osborne and the Tories want you to die of starvation? No?

Reply 3

LeeC

Original post by + polarity -

Pouring more water into a leaking bucket won't make the bucket any better at holding water.

:sigh:

Though it might stop the bucket from becoming empty, at least temporarily.

Reply 4

Bill_Gates

Fair enough they fiddled with the pensions, reduced child tax credits but come on 18p increase in sausage rolls!!

Reply 5

truthandtragedy

Half the pasties in my local Greggs are cold most of the time, does that still count?

Reply 6

HellOnHighHeels

So what happens to the local bakeries, who struggle to keep up with the likes of Greggs anyway? If prices go up, customers go down and so do their profits.

Reply 7

Steezy

Original post by Martyn*

Fruit and veg is actually pretty cheap in most supermarkets compared to ready meals, etc that give you a fraction of the vitamins & minerals that fruit & veg do.

Plus if you buy meat from a butcher it works out cheaper than buying ready meals & much better for you.

People are just lazy.

Reply 8

cognito_08

But if you went to a Chinese (or any other) Takeaway you'd pay VAT that has been added to your meal anyway.
So I guess it just makes all takeaway food consistent?

Reply 9

Martyn*

Original post by Steezy

Of course, you pack your own lunch from home and it can be less expensive. But I'm talking about eating-out for healthy food. I find that a jacket potato with a filling and a side salad would cost me £3.60 from a nearby cafe. A pie only costs £1.10 from the bakery. I don't know what butchers you use, but the one's I used to use, before turning to Quorn as the main source of protein, was very expensive. Almost £3 for a small pork steak.

Reply 10

Martyn*

Original post by Steezy

I can get a ready meal (i.e., rice and a chicken curry) for less than a pound, and I can even get two for the price of one if I shop at Asda. For me to sustain myself on fruit and veg throughout the day I would nead to spend at least three or more times that amount. And what kind of fruit and veg? It costs 15p for an apple, perhaps more if you shop at Morrissons. A salad might cost a pound or more. Can you get by on eating a bag of carrots? How much is a bag of carrots? 60p. I'd say that, providing there are no reduced items from the healthy food section where you shop, a ready meal can be much cheaper.

Reply 11

Steevee

Original post by Martyn*

That's because you are not being too smart about it. Veg and meat bought in bulk does, almost always, work out cheaper and more nutritious than ready meals. Of course, if buying in bulk is not an option, then you may have a point.

Reply 12

Steezy

Original post by Martyn*

As somebody else replied, I think the difference here is that I'm talking about a weekly shop. Where £1 bananas covers my week of breakfast, £1 peppers £1 onions £1 mushrooms, £1 tomatoes £1 pasta and say £5 meat could cover lunch and dinner for the week. Then add another £1 for pineapple & £1 for a melon & that's desert.

I'll add on another £2 for unseen variances.

So that's what, £15 for a very nutritious, healthy weekly diet compared to a ready made curry (which only covers dinner), which gives you hardly any vitamins, minerals, etc, costing £2.50 a week, remembering that only covers your dinner.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 13

geetar

Oh noes, what will children get morbidly obese on now?

Reply 14

kerily

I solve this problem by not being able to afford a hot takeaway food for lunch and carrying sandwiches instead :dontknow:

Reply 15

Isambard Kingdom Brunel

In all seriousness, I don't understand why the budget gets so much coverage.

You pay your taxes because the Queen tells you to pay your taxes.

If that doesn't let you know your position on the foodchain then nothing will.