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A value-added tax (VAT or goods and services tax (GST), general consumption tax (GCT)) is a consumption tax that is levied on the value added at each stage of a product's production and distribution. VAT is similar to, and is often compared with, a sales tax.
The UK also exempts or lowers the rate on some products depending on situation; for example milk products are exempt from VAT, but if you go into a restaurant and drink a milk drink it is VAT-able. Some products such as feminine hygiene products and baby products (nappies etc.) are charged at 5% VAT along with domestic fuel.
The EU value-added tax is based on the "destination principle": the value-added tax is paid to the government of the country in which the consumer who buys the product lives. Businesses selling a product charge the VAT and the customer pays it. When the customer is a business, the VAT is known as an "input VAT."
VAT is an indirect tax because the tax is paid to the government by the seller (the business) rather than the person who ultimately bears the economic burden of the tax (the consumer). [4] Opponents of VAT claim it is a regressive tax because the poorest people spend a higher proportion of their disposable income on VAT than the richest people. [5]
A value-added tax applies to the market value added to a product or material at each stage of its manufacture or distribution. For example, if a retailer buys a shirt for twenty dollars and sells it for thirty dollars, this tax would apply to the ten dollar difference between the two amounts.
Map of the world showing national-level sales tax / VAT rates as of October 2019. A comparison of tax rates by countries is difficult and somewhat subjective, as tax laws in most countries are extremely complex and the tax burden falls differently on different groups in each country and sub-national unit.
VAT Rates Applied in the Member States of the European Union, 1 July 2013, European Commission; Excise duties on alcohol, tobacco and energy, 1 July 2013, European Commission; HM Revenue & Customs: Corporation Tax rates; European VAT Rates
Feminine care products, such as tampons and pads, are not subject to sales tax. Illinois is one of only three states with such an exemption (the others being Connecticut and New York). [105] The city of Chicago has one of the highest total sales tax of all major U.S. cities (10.25%). [106]