April 2008 Archives
Sometimes I despair for humanity. The following story is reproduced from the BBC in full. Apologies for violating their copyright, but it's succinct and simply too good to resist.
Teacake set to cost taxman £3.5m
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. That decision will be taken by the House of Lords and HM Revenue and Customs said it was too early to make a comment.
"This is a very complex judgment on which it would be premature to make any comment until the House of Lords has handed down its judgment," Revenue and Customs said in a statement.
Marks and Spencer also gave a cautious response.
"It does look encouraging. However, it is a complex matter and we are reviewing the decision of the ECJ with our advisers," a spokeswoman said.
What hope is there for mankind if it takes us 20 years to determine the difference between a biscuit and a cake? Even now, the language used by the parties involved is stultifying:
"This is a very complex judgment (remember that fundamentally, this is about the difference between a biscuit and a cake) on which it would be premature (it's only been 20 years) to make any comment until the House of Lords (the highest court in the land) has handed down its judgment."
Meanwhile, Marks & Spencer feels it necessary to consult with its advisers. If ever proof were needed that we are the cause of all our problems, this example is it.
Since the decades of indecision must have caused the UK's bakers untold stress, I think the money should be donated to the Bakers' Benevolent Society or perhaps the National Association of Master Bakers Benevolent Fund. How's that for a speedy decision?
