Call for Pasty Tax re-think

West Cornwall MP, Andrew George, is urging Treasury Ministers to rethink their proposal to impose a “pasty tax”.

Mr George who, last week, warned the Government that the Cornish would “fight them on the beaches” is urging the Chancellor of the Exchequer to think again before the implementation of the tax on 1st October.

Mr George said, “Pasties are not luxury food. It’s not like caviar or lobster sandwiches, which would be zero rated.

“For the Chancellor to tell working Cornish folk that they can ‘eat their pasties cold’ fails to recognise the long tradition and how important this humble square meal is to working people in our country.

“This may be a way for the Government to generate consistency between hot take away chicken which is VATable and hot take away chicken from supermarkets which is not.

“The Cornish pasty has special designation – Protected Geographic Indication status – which the Government has supported. If the Government is simply trying to achieve consistency between VATable takeaway outlets and supermarkets then they could make an exception for the ‘protected’ pasty.”