to think there should not be VAT on fruit juice?

[Talkinpeace]

Just binning a supermarket till receipt when I noticed that in my big weekly shop, the things that had VAT on were:

• toiletries
• booze
• fresh squeezed orange juice

all the rest of my food was zero rated

why is Orange juice deemed a 'luxury item' : if it was 17% cheaper (with no VAT on it) then more people would get their five a day.

fresh sueezed orange juice is a luxury product, certainly not one I buy regularly. And its a poor way to get your 5 a day, since you can only count it as one no matter how much you drink. It's high in sugars and bad for your teeth. I don't see why it shouldn't have vat on it.

You could but oranges and squeeze them yourself to avoid VAT. Having the oranges already squeezed for you is what makes it a luxury.

Because they've squeezed it and packaged it for you. Next time buy it packaged in an orange.

Juice is not a good way to get your '5 a day'
It is a luxury item and the fore subject to VAT

VAT is 20%, not 17!

I think it's because it's a beverage and not food.

Fruit is zero rated

80s mum - OP knows that VAT is 20% but if you take the VAT off of £1 then you'd get 83p, therefore being 17% cheaper.

You're forgetting that the VAT of 20% added to £1 gives £1.20, so the actual percentage of VAT of the whole £1.20 is 20/120 which is 16.67%.

OP is an accountant ....

Fruit juice is a luxury
but peaches peeled and tinned in syrup are not?
nor are fresh soups that have been highly processed?

You should eat your fruit not drink it. The body wasn't designed to consume so much sugar that you get in fruit juice all in one go.

It takes about 7 oranges to make a glass of juice no one in there right mind would sit a child down to eat 7 oranges in one sitting.

but tinned peaches in sugar syrup are just fine ?

YA probably BU but I do appreciate your maths :)

Surely now your arguing that more things SHOULD have VAT added rather than that fruit juice shouldn't.

sirzy
I suspect the VAT on fresh juice has more to do with trade tariffs than health!

For many years (this name has existed since 2005 and its always me) I've advocated VAT on all foods with more than seven ingredients.

Ok so Ill say it again. Fruit juice is a beverage. Beverages are subject to VAT.

Tinned peaches are classed as food.

Beverages are subject to VAT
milk is not
nor are soups and yogurts

Beverages.

I don't eat tinned peaches either.

Soup and yogurts are not beverages

Absolutely shouldn't be a good option for five a day. My friend who's kids won't touch anything except chicken nuggets, burgets and the like thought a big glass of fresh juice each morn would be a good idea. When get dc were 4 and 6 they had a mouth full of fillings and an extraction each.

It is a luxury item and should not be promoted as a five a day choice.

Never mind orange juice; there's VAT on tampons! Luxury schmuxury...

That vat maths just blew my head off.

vonherr
but tinned fruit in sugar syrup is fine?
or high fat cheese?

I was answering your point from a 'if it was 17% cheaper more people would get their five a day' angle. So neither oj nor tinned syrupy fruit are good ways to do so.

Really at least 4 of your 5 a day should come from veggies not fruit. Juice really bad for your teeth as it rots them faster than sugary sweets.