Pasty tax u-turn – in media quotes

The Sun​​

“Pasty la vista taxman: Victory as chancellor caves in over VAT on hot snacks.​

“His climbdown is a spectacular victory for The Sun’s ‘Who VAT all the pies?’​ campaign.

BBC’s political editor Nick Robinson ​

“If they​ [pasties] happen to have just come out of the oven and are hot when sold, they will still be treated for tax purposes like cold takeaway food – that is, they will be zero-rated. Simple really.”​

Daily Mail​​

“Osborne eats his words on pasty tax. The hated pasty tax is to be reversed, George Osborne will announce today.” ​

The Daily Telegraph​​

“Pasty tax is too hot to handle as Osborne plans a retreat.”​

“David Cameron and Mr Osborne are facing increasing accusations that they are out of touch with ordinary people.”​

The Times​​

“Osborne blows hot and cold on pasty tax.”​

“The changes ​[to drop VAT on certain hot foods and to slash the rate of VAT applied to static holiday homes] will cost the taxpayer £65M in lost revenue that the Treasury had budgeted for.” ​

“The Chancellor resorted to the pasty and caravan measures to help fund a huge hike in personal allowances and a cut in the 50p top rate of tax.” ​

The Independent​

“Take-away foods including pasties, sausage rolls and meat-and-potato pies, are to be free from the Tax Man’s grasp after a campaign of protest orchestrated by Greggs, the nation’s largest chain of high street bakers.” ​

Financial Times​

“Humble pie for Osborne as his ‘pasty tax’ proves too hot to handle.”​

“George Osborne’s political roasting over hot pies intensified yesterday after the Chancellor was forced into a £40M retreat on his proposed ‘pasty tax’, as the budget showed new signs of unravelling.” ​

“Mr Osborne, who has admitted he could not recall eating a Greggs pasty, has concluded after a consultation that new VAT rules for hot pies were too complex and imposed a high burden on business.”  ​

To read how the Chancellor apparently heeded the advice of Greggs on pasty tax reform, click here​.