Subway 'meatball' sub at centre of new VAT row

Scroll to see replies

I think it's ridiculous that whether your food is served hot or cold determines whether it should be taxed. I don't eat at Sub Way because their prices are extortionate for sandwiches. Perhaps they should be subsiding healthy food options rather than taxing it. But then the extortionate prices are due to the company being greedy rather than anything else. Even Tesco's sandwich prices are extortionate and they're generally half that of Sub Way's.

I think it would be a good idea to put heavier taxes on unhealthy food, and use the extra income to subsidise healthy food. It's really not good that it's so much easier and cheaper (at least when you factor in preparation time) to eat food that's bad for you than food that's good for you.

Reply 21

Georgiina_Tee

The government need to get their priorities straight.

This was posted from The Student Room's Android App on my HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio Z715e

Reply 22

tc92

Always wondered why it was more expensive to get my ham salad sub heated up. Guess it must be VAT-related.

Reply 23

L i b

Original post by Empire08

I thought the whole idea of VAT was to tax luxury items, not every day essentials. So much for simplifying the tax system.

Hence the reason why hot takeaway food, heated to be served, is taxed whilst cold food is not. That is the general rule. The "pasty tax" was an attempt to stop a silly loophole in that system.

Original post by Georgiina_Tee

The government need to get their priorities straight.

What are you wittering on about?

VAT on hot takeaway foods has been in place for as long as I can remember. Someone has brought a legal case against the government, which it is realistically obliged to defend, on pretty spurious grounds. In the end, it will be Subway who'll be paying the government's legal fees when their appeal is rejected.

Reply 24

paperclip

Original post by thunder_chunky

Once I went into a subway and due to a slip of the tounge I ended up asking for a "meatball marijuana."

I worked at Subway, and the amount of times i heard that joke was ridiculous :facepalm:

Although if it was an accident then i understand.

Reply 25

thunder_chunky

Original post by paperclip

I worked at Subway, and the amount of times i heard that joke was ridiculous :facepalm:

Although if it was an accident then i understand.

I actually did it though. I didn't realise it was a joke too.

Reply 26

paperclip

Original post by thunder_chunky

I actually did it though. I didn't realise it was a joke too.

Ah, fair enough. It becomes more or less a daily occurrence. Although the best moment was when a group of drunk aussies came in and one lassie struggled to pronounce it, trying all sorts of mumbled garbage starting with m and ending in ana. She accidentally stumbled into marijuana in one of her five attempts at ordering a sandwich :p:

I guess calling it a joke would be stretching it. Many simple people walk into the shop, realise the two sound the same, and think they're funny for pointing it out. I do wish they did sell a meatball marijuana, although i would have to rethink my vegetarian tendencies (and it would taste absolutely revolting).

Reply 27

thunder_chunky

Original post by paperclip

Ah I see, fair enough. I've smelt marijuana on other people before but I've never smoked it or actually done anything with it so I don't know quite what it's like on it's alone coupled with anything else. I can't imagine it would go with meat or meatballs.
They sell marijuana flavoured lollipops at Camden Market. Never had one though.

Reply 28

Beebumble

I hope David Cameron does his homework this time and looks up to see if there is actually a subway where he claims to last had a subway. :tongue:

Reply 29

SnoochToTheBooch

****ing nazis. god i hate this country.

Reply 30

Beebumble

Original post by Empire08

I don't even understand why some food is liable to tax anyway? Why should biscuits have VAT and cakes be exempt? Wouldn't it be simpler to just exempt all food from tax?

I thought the whole idea of VAT was to tax luxury items, not every day essentials. So much for simplifying the tax system.

You'd think that but seeing as sanitary products are taxed (accept in Asda where they pay the tax themselves) it's just seems to be luck of the draw of 'who shall we screw money out of today'.

Reply 31

Sephiroth

Original post by Psyk

I don't think the government could subsidise Subway enough to bring their prices back down to reality. Unfortunately not enough people are voting with the feet and would happily pay £10 for a slice of bread if they had no other option, just because of a "healthy" label. So prices remain extortionate.

I used to stretch by budget a little every now and then for one of Tesco's £1.15 sandwiches. Then they put it up by about 30% within six months. I thought **** that. I only buy them now if they're half price reduced to clear, because that's all they are worth. Then you've got them trying to force a bag of crisps and a drink on you when you don't want that, through their careful price planning of marking up the sandwiches so you think you're getting a saving with the extras and you end up spending over £2 for a couple of slices of bread that hasn't even been buttered and and a thin filling. You get so little you're left calling at the chippy or Greggs because you're still hungry, meaning you're taking on more calories than had you just went straight there!

Give me a bag of chips or a pie and pasty any day. I get value for money that way, although some chip shops and bakeries like to rip you off too I've noticed. Alternatively I make my own sandwiches and take them to work. I get 4 times as much from my £1.50 or whatever that way and a week's worth of lunches for as much as the price of a Subway.

Healthy eating is nothing but massive profits for these companies, I'm not sure giving them more through subsidies would be the best idea any more.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 32

Yoko Ono

Sounds pathetic, but what this really is is the government trying to tax takeaway food. Temperature is a good way to do this, because it means that groceries will still be exempt from the tax as they're usually not hot, whereas most food you buy from takeaways is sold hot over the counter. This obviously leads to stuff like this where the same product can be bought hot or cold and where the temperature of the food varies, but who cares? This is such a cheap shot; if you want to bash the government there are plenty of better reasons to do so than concentrating on this boring, overblown story.

Reply 33

Psyk

Original post by Sephiroth

Is Subway healthy?

Good points though. I suppose food companies would just use the subsidies as a way to make more profits than to reduce the price of healthy food.

Reply 34

Beebumble

Original post by Yoko Ono

I'd have no problem with them taxing unhealthy food to stop people filling themselves up on takeaways. If healthier food wasn't so expensive in the first place!

As it stands people on a budget are having to spend more money on the food they usually buy but can't switch to a healthier alternative because that'll involve spending even more money they may not have.

Reply 35

Psyk

Original post by Beebumble

I had the idea of using extra tax on unhealthy food to subsidise healthy food, but Sephiroth pointed out that food companies would probably just use that subsidy as a way to increase their profit margins rather than reduce the price.

Not sure of a way to solve that other than strict market regulation. The government could put some kind of upper limit on the price of food for it to qualify for the subsidy. But that would probably distort the market somehow.

Reply 36

Narcissist

Original post by Sephiroth

Give me a bag of chips or a pie and pasty any day. I get value for money that way, although some chip shops and bakeries like to rip you off too I've noticed.

I'm not sure you get great value for money when you buy a bag of chips. Potatoes are not a particularly expensive ingredient.

Reply 37

Yoko Ono

Original post by Beebumble

I'd have no problem with them taxing unhealthy food to stop people filling themselves up on takeaways. If healthier food wasn't so expensive in the first place!

Healthy food really isn't all that expensive (not that it would be the government's fault if it was). I manage to eat healthily on a student loan. It's certainly far cheaper than takeaways. You could make good, filling meals that'll last you days for the price of one horrible takeaway pizza.

Reply 38

Beebumble

Original post by Yoko Ono

Really? All the healthy food where I live is ridiculously expensive. Maybe it's just London. :confused:

Even if it's not the governments fault it'll still be pointless in upping the taxes of unhealthy food in the aim to get people to eat more healthy if the healthier food is more expensive.

Reply 39

Yoko Ono

Original post by Beebumble

Really? All the healthy food where I live is ridiculously expensive. Maybe it's just London. :confused:

Even if it's not the governments fault it'll still be pointless in upping the taxes of unhealthy food in the aim to get people to eat more healthy if the healthier food is more expensive.

I guess it could be London. Although, what are you buying? Staple foods like fruit, vegetables, rice, pasta, etc are all fairly cheap and you can make great meals out of them.