Money goes to Money, as the old saying goes. Today, Marks and Spencer were victorious in a 13 year, yes, 13 year legal battle with HM Revenue & Customs. From what I can gather the whole argument is whether their "Chocolate covered Tea Cake" is, indeed,a cake and not a chocolate covered biscuit. VAT rules are such that most food attracts a zero rate of tax and this includes Cakes and, wait for it, Dry Biscuits. Chocolate covered Biscuits, however, are considered a luxury item and attract the dreaded VAT. The case actually goes back 20 or so years, but, M&S are set to claw back £3.5 million in VAT originally paid on the Biscuits, sorry, I mean Cakes, as well as interest and legal fees and whatever else they can screw "The Man" for. I wonder if M&S will be giving a rebate to the now- amalgam encrusted poor saps who bought the sodding Bis-cakes in the first place?
So, Chocolate Biscuits = Luxury. If that's true, then I've got my childhood memories all wrong. You see, we ate nothing, but, chocolate covered biscuits in my house throughout the 1970's. I just wish that somebody would have told my Dad that we were living the good life, as I'm sure he would have told most of his employers to, and I quote (from Withnail and I), "Shove it up your arse for nothing and F*ck off while you're doing it".
Who would have thought that the humble McVitie's chocolate digestive biscuit, the epitome of working class sustenance (along with a two-sugared cup of Tea, of course) would turn out to be such a symbol of wanton decadence.
It just goes to show; You can have your Cake and make the Taxman eat it....
