Conservatives: "A 20% sales tax on fast food"

Conservatism in Action  -  A 20% sales tax on fast food.

"A wise and frugal Government shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned."   - - - - Thomas Jefferson


The problem with so-called British (and European) "Conservatism" is they never had a Boston Tea Party.  Conservatism around the world has bought into the idea of the Marxist re-distribution of wealth and the cradle to grave welfare state.

Now in a totally natural and knee-jerk reaction to a budget deficit, the British Conservative Party proposes to increase taxes on the food people eat rather than cut the size of government.

The Conservative-led government's latest budget would put a tax on some of the nation's favorite hot snacks such as the humble meat pie.

Outlining Britain's annual budget last week, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne added previously tax-free treats such as pasties, sausage rolls and meat pies to the list of hot take-away food and meals bought from hamburger outlets and restaurants that are subject to the 20 percent value added tax imposed on most retail products and services reports the San Francisco Chronicle.

The traditional meat pie of the southwest county of Cornwall is a favorite among the lower-income working population.


Osborne was challenged on the pasties tax by a parliamentary committee questioning him on the budget this week. "When was the last time you bought a pasty at Greggs?" Labor Party lawmaker John Mann asked him, referring to a low-price bakery chain.
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"I can't remember," answered the chancellor, looking flummoxed.
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"I think that sums it up," Mann said.
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Meanwhile tabloid newspapers have made a meal of the question. The popular Sun newspaper referred to Labor Party jibes that called Osborne a modern-day Marie Antoinette, the 19th century French queen famous for suggesting the starving population clamoring for bread should just eat cake.
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(San Francisco Chronicle)

The Conservative Party "Pie Tax"   -   Greggs - a chain of bakers and makers of snack food in London, Wednesday, March, 28, 2012. The boss of Greggs has accused Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, of having "lost touch" after the Chancellor admitted he could not remember the last time he bought a pasty from the baker. Chief executive Ken McMeikan said ministers did not appreciate the impact changes to VAT rules would have on ordinary people. 

The high street chain saw millions wiped off its shares after the Budget closed a loophole that has meant some hot takeaway foods, such as sausage rolls and pasties, escaped the duty. The move - quickly dubbed the "pie tax" - sparked outrage, with critics pointing to the contrast of a cut in the 50p top tax rate.