[Closed] The whole VAT on fitness supplements....

Seems like a big hit to anyone who enjoys a healthy lifestyle?

From my last wiggle/torq invoice VAT was already charged on the energy bars.

I didn't think VAT was applied to food?

Seems like a big hit to anyone who enjoys a healthy lifestyle?

Eating tubes filled with suggary carb heavy gels is not a "healthly lifestyle". The drinks are even worse.

They are a luxury product that cater to a certain market of endurance sports enthusiast but are also agreesively and falsley marketed to the general public as an aid to fitness.

If you are trying to get healthy you most certainly shouldn't be using these products.

If you are already fit and partake in prolonged activity over a couple of hours at a high intensity then there is some benefit of improved performance.

since when do energy bars/gels mark out a healthy lifestyle?
in fact, does it even mark out an avid cyclist?

its not essential food, it attracts VAT, if the producers are worried that poor hard up fitness freaks will stop buying.... they will drop the price to counteract

I haven't looked at the legislation, but let's say I'm selling a pasty (but obviously not a warm one). For it to attract the 20%, do I have to demonstrate that it makes you fitter, or just claim that it makes you fitter?

Jelly Babies? If I promise to eat them in front of the telly will they be VAT free?

Oh Good grief, I just googled - Here's an excerpt -
3.4.2 Biscuits
Biscuits covered or partly covered in chocolate or some other products similar in taste and appearance to chocolate are standard-rated.

Below are some examples to help determine whether a product is zero or standard rated:

zero-rated
Chocolate chip biscuits where the chips are either included in the dough or pressed into the surface before baking

Standard-rated
All wholly or partly coated biscuits including biscuits decorated in a pattern with chocolate or some similar product

zero-rated
Bourbon and other biscuits where the chocolate or similar product forms a sandwich layer between two biscuit halves and is not continued onto the outer surface

Standard-rated
Chocolate covered shortbread

zero-rated
Jaffa cakes

Standard-rated
Gingerbread men decorated with chocolate unless this amounts to no more than a couple of dots for eyes

zero-rated
Biscuits coated with caramel or some other product that does not resemble chocolate in taste and appearance

standard-rated
Ice cream wafers partly covered in chocolate such as “chocolate oysters”

[url= http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageLibrary_ShowContent&id=HMCE_CL_000118&propertyType=document#P285_14849 ]More insanity here.[/url]

I wasn't being specific to energy gels etc.
The term fitness supplement far reaching....what about Omega 3? That's a can be considered a fitness supplement.

what about Omega 3? That's a fitness supplement.

won't that come VAT free in normal food?

Just looked through the list a bit more.

Diabetic Chocolate - Standard Rate VAT.
Chocolate body paint - VAT free 😯

Just looked through the list a bit more.

Diabetic Chocolate - Standard Rate VAT.
Chocolate body paint - VAT free

So if we have Energy Shower Gel? Makes you clean and full of energy?

I'd have thought the chocolate body paint was a potential performance enhancer too.

I think it comes down to being a fast growing market of expensive, non essential (arguably luxury) goods, with questionable at best value. I assume the "beauty" market also charges VAT?

As for energy bars, I'd assume they'd come under food, as should pre mixed drinks such as lucozade/redbull/monster etc. I've never relied on a government to make sense!

In other news, I'm willing to make jam sandwiches, compress them into handy bars and sell them for £2 each if you're interested?

Would a protein bar attract the extra tax?
I regularly pick a protein bar over a lets say a Mars bar if in the supermarket. It's still food but slightly better for you.

Gonna hit the avid cyclist if that the case!?

No not really, it'll hit those that think eating a bar with 'ppppprotein powa' printed on it some how makes them a super athlete. The rest of us will ride our bikes fuelled by pies, cake and haribo.

Food is food. Supplements are a hobby

http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/recommended-protein-intake-to-build-muscle-mass-40541

"After all, we did not evolve to forage for individual proteins at supplement stores, but we did evolve to utilise the protein from foods to our best advantage!"

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Another example of legislation/administration burdening the collective brain of UK society to a weary and tiresome death...