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.

[Catsdontcare]

From the point of view of no vat would make it easier for people to get their 5 a day you are wrong BUT as tinned fruit seems to offend you so much I conceed that it should be treated equal to fruit juice in being a not particularly healthy option.

Fruit juice is also bad for your liver not just your teeth.

[Baabaapinksheep]

Blankie - vat is charged at 5 percent on sanitary products, not the norm rate.

[wannabedomesticgoddess]

Peronally I think sanitary products should be VAT free. Does anyone know why they arent?

[Areyoumadorisitme]

talkinpeace OP is an accountant.... So am I, hence the explanation

[foreverondiet]

Because its not very healthy as devoid of fibre, and full of (fruit) sugar. Best to avoid altogether.

[GreenEggsAndNichts]

Juicing oranges makes them a luxury item? So anything not in its original state should be a luxury item? That would include most items in the shop not found in either the produce section or the butcher counter.

[KobayashiMaru]

Soups and yoghurt are not beverages, they are food.

[ILikeBirds]

Any system that decides cake is not a luxury is fine by me

[Trills]

Dividing foods into "healthy" and "unhealthy" is oversimplistic.

I agree that there should be no VAT at all on sanitary products.

[INeedThatForkOff]

Is there VAT on fizzy drinks, cordials, tea and coffee?

[NuhichNuhaymuh]

Tea and coffee are zero. Fizzy an cordial are zero standard rate