Beverage Council asks for VAT reduction on bottled water
16/09/2005 - 15:25:31The Government came under pressure today to reduce VAT on bottled water.
The Beverage Council of Ireland (BCI) said that as water was a basic food item, it should no longer be subject to the 21% levied on luxury items.
It's thought it would knock an average of 10c off a bottle of water if VAT was reduced to 13.5%.
Executive Director of the BCI, Bernard Murphy, said: "Essentially the question we're asking the Government is how, if they claim to be intent on ridding us of our rip-off image, can they support a VAT regime which imposes a luxury rate of tax of 21% on simple non-alcohol beverages such as bottled water and fruit juice."
