Another Brexit Bonus

[life on mars]

'Solar panels are highlighted as one of the products member states can exempt from VAT, as part of a more general push to "increase consumers access to green energy", with electric bicycles and recycling also making the list.'

So EU states (or EEC states if you like) can apply zero VAT rates on energy saving home improvements?

Well I never!

LOM talking bollox shock?

A Brexit Benefit
A cut to the VAT rate is only possible thanks to Brexit. Under the EU rules, no member state can cut VAT on domestic electricity and gas below the 5% level.



With the UK free of Brussels, the government is now able to slash VAT rates on domestic energy bills, a move that could be a big help to the millions of consumers struggling to pay.



Wholesale gas prices continue to hover at record highs with fears growing by the day that we will see more and more energy suppliers forced to exit the market. When a supplier exits, the costs of doing so are then passed onto the wider industry and inevitably the consumer.



Food, fuel, and clothing prices are all rising raising concerns that the country is facing a serious cost of living crisis in the coming months.



With so many energy supply companies being forced to exit the market those businesses that serve them have also taken a serious with mass redundancies expected over the coming weeks and months.



For the past ten years VAT on electricity and gas bills has been charged at the 20% rate for big and energy intensive businesses and the reduced rate (also known as the de minimis threshold) available to some small businesses at 5%. This applies if they use less than 33-kilowatt hours of electricity or less than 145-kilowatt hours of gas per day.



Domestic customers already pay the reduced VAT rate of 5% on their energy bills.



With recent economic data revealing that inflation is rising and the overall economy struggling to recover from the Covid lockdowns, some economists are forecasting that a recovery could take several years unless action is taken by the government to stimulate spending.



A VAT cut on energy bills would tick two boxes – it reminds people of the benefits of Brexit and shows you’re listening to people,’ a Treasury official told the Financial Times.

https://www.dyballassociates.co.uk/

[jon1959]

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/...iday-agreement

A bilateral trade deal between the US and the UK is “desirable” but will not progress while the Northern Ireland peace deal is being used for domestic political purposes, one of the most powerful American congressmen has warned.

Richard Neal, the chairman of the ways and means committee, has told the Guardian: “We will not entertain a trade agreement if there is any jeopardy to the Good Friday agreement.

“A bilateral trade agreement with the UK is desirable – there’s no question about that. I’m very open to that. But what I’m not open to is holding the Good Friday agreement hostage over domestic politics.”

[life on mars]

More on the VAT Cut for the Spectator around the benefit of VAT in and out of EU last para is a good summary the truth lies in between I guess :

Labour’s Chris Bryant was quick to try to scotch Rishi Sunak’s claim that it was only thanks to Brexit that he was able to remove VAT on a number of home energy improvements, such as the installation of solar panels. Within a few minutes of Sunak making the claim, Bryant had tweeted:

'Contrary to what Sunak said, there is already a VAT exemption on solar panels and heat pumps already happens in the EU, so this is not a benefit of Brexit.'

So who is right? Is it Brexit wot gave us our VAT-free solar panels or is it just another Brexit myth, to be dismissed like the £350 million a week claim on the side of the Vote Leave campaign bus?

The truth, interestingly, lies somewhere in between. During Britain’s membership of the EU the country was subject to its VAT rules. Member states were generally required to levy VAT rates of at least 15 per cent. However, there were a couple of exceptions. Members states were allowed to levy a reduced rate of no less than five per cent in one or two areas. Moreover, states were allowed to continue to levy zero rates so long as those zero rates had been in place on 1 January 1991.

It was these rules which allowed Britain to continue to levy zero rates on items such as food, newspapers and children’s clothes, as well as to levy a reduced five per cent rate on domestic fuel. These rules were described as ‘transitional’ – the idea being that one day they would be swept away and VAT harmonised across the EU, which would have meant the UK having to impose VAT on food, for example.

In 1998, that five per cent rate was extended to ‘energy saving materials’ in buildings, which included solar panels. However, in 2015, UK government fell foul of a judgement by the European Court of Justice that its five per cent VAT rate on solar panels was in contravention of EU law. The court ruled that the reduced rate would be admissible if it applied to groups with certain social needs, but a general five per cent rate was not allowed: Britain’s standard rate of 20 per cent would have to be applied instead. As a result, the government came up with the rule that only the over 60s could qualify for solar panels at a reduced VAT rate of five per cent (ignoring the obvious objection that many over-60s are a lot wealthier than a lot of under 60s).

However, last December – nearly two years after Britain left the EU – the European Council approved a proposal to amend VAT rules so as to lower rates on certain goods and services with environmental objectives. Under the proposal, member states would be instructed to set VAT rates between zero and a maximum of five per cent on a basket of goods and services including 'Supply and installation of solar panels on, and adjacent to, private dwellings, housing and public and other buildings used for activities in the public interest.' It also included electric bicycles and waste recycling services. In other words, having taken Britain to court over the matter, the EU is now proposing to adopt the UK policy to which it had objected. The proposal cannot become law without first being voted on by the European Parliament.

The basic facts are, then, that Britain tried to reduce VAT on solar panels and other home energy improvements years ago, while still a member of the EU. The EU stopped us, but now, after we have left, it wants to copy our example. That is hardly a ringing endorsement for EU membership. Indeed, it reminds us of an underlying truth: that as members of the EU we had to obey high-prescriptive rules on VAT – and now we can set whatever rates we feel like.

[JamesWales]

I know someone who works in solar panel installation. It absolutely is the case that the UK couldn't reduce the VAT on them whilst bound by EU laws.

Let's be sensible and admit there are pros and cons of being in or outside the EU, but things like this are most definitely a positive.

[life on mars]

Lizz Truss was right after all with her cheese rant we produce 1000 different UK Artisans cheeses v French 500

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2V3PrfN98U

Go Liz go old Putin is worried about you as well .

Ukrainian Wheat , Seed Oils deal on the way .
Swedish : Cars , Packaged Medicaments , Refined Petroleum
Finland's : Refined Petroleum , Pulp/Paper /Wood Products

Outward to them : Weapons , Finance , Spy's , Boris , GCHQ .

[cyril evans awaydays]

Crikey, another post in Latin.

[cyril evans awaydays]

https://www.theguardian.com/commenti...ern-ireland-eu

We get regular Crace/Hynde stuff but I find that this is far clearer on the international mess this country is in than either.

[life on mars]

Unemployment down to levels not seen since 1974 .

[ninian opinian]

Brexit, the shit show which just keeps on giving https://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...-b2092612.html

[jon1959]

Unemployment down to levels not seen since 1974 .

Inflation up to levels not seen since…..

[Taunton Blue Genie]

Crikey, another post in Latin.

Latin is more easily deciphered.

[Dorcus]

Latin is more easily deciphered.

It's more Stanley Unwin for those of a certain vintage

[Hilts]

Nearly £90 quid for use of mobile abroad with roaming passes for me.

It all keeps adding up.

[life on mars]

Inflation up to levels not seen since…..

Not brext related as you well know unless you think USA is in Europe .

This might help you :

"" Countries experiencing conflict, upheaval or major economic problems in 2022 are expected to see inflation rates far above the global average of 7.4 percent.19 May 2022""

[life on mars]

Nearly £90 quid for use of mobile abroad with roaming passes for me.

It all keeps adding up.

Not for everyone , it depends on your provider / contract .

Most outlets, hotels , restaurants/ pubs have free wi fi and guess what you can switch your data off, and hey when out about just enjoy your holiday and try your device dependency.

[cyril evans awaydays]

Not brext related as you well know unless you think USA is in Europe .

This might help you :

"" Countries experiencing conflict, upheaval or major economic problems in 2022 are expected to see inflation rates far above the global average of 7.4 percent.19 May 2022""

Countries experiencing conflict, upheaval or major economic problems in 2022 are expected to see inflation rates far above the global average of 7.4 percent. Among them are Venezuela, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Turkey, Yemen and Argentina.

https://www.statista.com/chart/27480...on-by-country/

Ffs. Did you really use this as your best hit

[life on mars]

Countries experiencing conflict, upheaval or major economic problems in 2022 are expected to see inflation rates far above the global average of 7.4 percent. Among them are Venezuela, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Turkey, Yemen and Argentina.

https://www.statista.com/chart/27480...on-by-country/

Ffs. Did you really use this as your best hit

Keep chuckling ;
Euro area annual inflation is expected to be 8.1% in May 2022, up from 7.4% in April according to a flash estimate from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union

The annual inflation rate for the United States is 8.3% for the 12 months ended April 2022 after rising 8.5% previously, according to U.S. Labor Department data published May 11.

China Inflation Exceeds Forecasts as Lockdowns Roil Supplies
PPI rose 8% in April, higher than the 7.8% forecast in survey
Rising food costs in April drove consumer inflation up to 2.1%.

Bugger all to with with Brexit

[cyril evans awaydays]

Keep chuckling ;
Euro area annual inflation is expected to be 8.1% in May 2022, up from 7.4% in April according to a flash estimate from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union

The annual inflation rate for the United States is 8.3% for the 12 months ended April 2022 after rising 8.5% previously, according to U.S. Labor Department data published May 11.

China Inflation Exceeds Forecasts as Lockdowns Roil Supplies
PPI rose 8% in April, higher than the 7.8% forecast in survey
Rising food costs in April drove consumer inflation up to 2.1%.

Bugger all to with with Brexit

Who said your stupidity was anything to do with Brexit. You just couldn't bear to make your fatuous point whilst staring at a map that had France in a lower inflation zone so you tried to justify it with some nonsense that apparently "Might help us" even though you knew the paragraph you quoted had nothing to do with Brexit.

Pathetic!

[ninian opinian]

Brexit extremely bad for UK businesses. From someone who knows https://twitter.com/daniellambert29/...SdSq8G2GtwRk5g

[JamesWales]

Record oil and gas exports to the EU.

I swear, the guardian staff must have keyboards with a specific 'despite brexit' key to save time.
https://www.theguardian.com/business...ukraine-brexit

[Swiss Peter]

With new levels of instability in NI, the standing and reputation of this country amongst our immediate neighbours and allies (and, it seems, many in positions of influence in the States) at a low point, and now our world-leading thinkers not being able to access world-leading research programmes, can any of the Brexit fan club please start pointing to the counter-balancing benefits yet?. Still too early?

This article is hilarious. Daily Express journalists trying to put a positive spin on bad news.

https://www.express.co.uk/news/scien...pe-alternative

[Swiss Peter]

Record oil and gas exports to the EU.

I swear, the guardian staff must have keyboards with a specific 'despite brexit' key to save time.
https://www.theguardian.com/business...ukraine-brexit

....and, of course, without Brexit none of this would have been possible.

[Pilkers]

Record oil and gas exports to the EU.

I swear, the guardian staff must have keyboards with a specific 'despite brexit' key to save time.
https://www.theguardian.com/business...ukraine-brexit

Which begs the question, why should fuel be so expensive in the UK? A commodity we are obviously still flush with. The government taking a bigger slice in taxation than anyone else I suspect. I filled up with diesel at Rosslare europort at 30p a litre cheaper than it is here last week, we export it to them yet they can still mark it up and retail cheaper than us!

No wonder the cost of living crisis is so much worse here, Brexit and being taxed to fug is killing us.

[JamesWales]

....and, of course, without Brexit none of this would have been possible.

I'm not saying that. I've always been of the belief that leaving or remaining in the EU would have far less of an impact than many on either side suggested.

FYI - Exports to the EU are the highest since records began. Why isn't that reported?
https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/natio...22#main-points

[JamesWales]

Which begs the question, why should fuel be so expensive in the UK? A commodity we are obviously still flush with. The government taking a bigger slice in taxation than anyone else I suspect. I filled up with diesel at Rosslare europort at 30p a litre cheaper than it is here last week, we export it to them yet they can still mark it up and retail cheaper than us!

No wonder the cost of living crisis is so much worse here, Brexit and being taxed to fug is killing us.

Fuel isn't particularly more expensive in the UK than elsewhere though and neither is the cost of living. In fact, the disparity between wage rises and inflation is lower here than elsewhere.

https://autotraveler.ru/en/spravka/f...in-europe.html