Chocolate Forum

Chat => General => Topic started by: loulou on April 11, 2008, 10:20:24 pm

Title: M&S teacake costs taxman 3.5 million.
Post by: loulou on April 11, 2008, 10:20:24 pm

The UK Treasury is facing a 3.5m bill, because of VAT wrongly imposed on a Marks and Spencer teacake, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled.

Customers paid VAT for 20 years before the authorities accepted the product was a cake, which does not command VAT.

The UK argued that paying back the total sum would "unjustly enrich" M&S as customers had paid the money.

The ECJ ruled that, in principle, VAT had to be repaid in full, but left the final decision to the British courts.

Title: M&S teacake costs taxman 3.5 million.
Post by: smurfboy on April 13, 2008, 01:33:19 pm

Luckily I've kept the receipts for all the M&S teacakes I've ever bought, so I'll be collecting about 512 quid.

Title: M&S teacake costs taxman 3.5 million.
Post by: loulou on April 13, 2008, 06:29:32 pm

Excellent.  Can we spend it all on M&S walnut whips?

Title: M&S teacake costs taxman 3.5 million.
Post by: on April 13, 2008, 07:45:48 pm

No they are levying extra tax on them now as sex equipment. paulham2008-04-13 18:46:06

Title: M&S teacake costs taxman 3.5 million.
Post by: MayRae on April 16, 2008, 04:25:05 am

If they cannot find all the people who paid the extra tax in order to give them their money back then they should use the money to open homeless shelters or something else that would help those less fortunate in the UK.

The one thing they should not do in my opinion is give the money to Marks and Spencer.

Just considering that is completely bonkers.

If the government did that Marks and Spencer would have recieved the money twice. Once at the point of purchase when they overcharged the customer, and once again now that the mistake has been discovered.

Madness.

 

 

Title: M&S teacake costs taxman 3.5 million.
Post by: smurfboy on April 16, 2008, 03:17:05 pm

But they didn't receive it when they overcharged the customer - they gave it to the VAT man!

Title: M&S teacake costs taxman 3.5 million.
Post by: MayRae on April 17, 2008, 02:12:28 am

Ooops my mistake.

I misread the information. Sorry

 

But still it shouldn't be given to M&S it isn't theirs after all.

 

I still think that if the customers who paid it cannot be found to be recompensed the it should be given to a charity in this coutry. It's not like there aren't plenty of them who could think of some wonderful things to do with that kind of money.

Title: M&S teacake costs taxman 3.5 million.
Post by: on April 17, 2008, 08:03:37 am

This has resonances with the McVite's Jaffa cake issue. 

Title: M&S teacake costs taxman 3.5 million.
Post by: smurfboy on April 17, 2008, 03:14:45 pm

I agree it doesn't make much sense giving it to M&S, as there's no way they could trace all their customers over that period (let alone check what they bought!) However, if it's a choice between them getting it and the VAT man holding on to it, I know which I'd pick...

Title: M&S teacake costs taxman 3.5 million.
Post by: MayRae on April 19, 2008, 12:31:05 am

Yes me too.

And.....If we could find out where the VAT men were making the drop.

We could liberate it smurfboy.

Just as a show of protest, of course. 

Title: M&S teacake costs taxman 3.5 million.
Post by: smurfboy on April 20, 2008, 02:03:46 pm

Of course