I beg to differ with Will Self on the topic of pasties and arses: they are not “the most arsiform food known to humankind”, the crimped edge does not represent “an engorged perineum”, and the consumption of one is not, therefore, an act of “bum-munching.” Mr Self does however, make a very pertinent link between the arse and the pasty which could happily be extended to those in Westminster dabbling in the dark arse art of the pasty tax.
In his budget this year, Mr Osborne announced that all takeaway food (except bread) would be subject to a 20% tax, inclusive of hot foods such as rotisserie chicken and pasties which are currently exempt from the “above air-ambient temperature” tax. Much of this may sound like an ‘arsiform emission’ but the consequences for Cornwall are significant.
The argument against pasties being taxed is that they are baked goods, like bread, intended to be eaten when cool. To add further insult, the tax will hit both bakeries and supermarkets alike, with no concessions to the smaller chains over the commercial beasts already sucking so much out of our high streets.
According to current statistics, the pasty industry in Cornwall employs 13,000 people and generates £150 million every year. The likes of ITV’s ‘Cornwall’ with Caroline Quentin, essentially a nauseating advertising campaign for high-end tourists and misleadingly masquerading as a documentary on Cornwall, demonstrates far too well what those outside of the county forget: that it is one of the poorest areas in the UK.
Ann Muller of the legendary Ann’s Pasties in Helston explains that, “This is basically a tax on the working man of Britain. “My hot pasties would go up by 50p from £2.75: for some people, that will make a big difference. I’m planning to put a sign up in the window: ‘Hot for the rich, and cold for the poor.’”
To claim the pasty – that symbol of industry, heritage and history that has so recently received its very own PGI, is no different to a battery-farmed supermarket rotisserie chicken is surely the biggest load of arse that has come out of Westminster in recent times.
The government’s consultation on the debate ends on May 4. To get involved in the debate, sign a petition in local participating bakeries, join the ‘Say No To The Pasty Tax’ group on Facebook or join the Pasty Tax March on April 29 in Falmouth. Read more on the pasty tax on Jessica Milln’s blog Beyond the Pasty … . Or, learn how to make your own homemade version here, tax-free cos you’re already at home.
Well spoken, Saffron Bunny. I guess you’ve seen my take too? http://jessicamiln.com/2012/04/16/pastytax-why-does-it-matter-so-much/ It’ll be the end of the world as we know it if VAT is added to pasties
Read yours too, very well said, let’s hope it doesn’t happen otherwise dark days ahead for our favourite food and county…
well done from me too! its all just too outrageous.
thanks for you comment Sue, just trying to work out the subtleties of the legislation is like reading a Kafka novel! hot, ambient, takeaway, eat cold, baked goods, same as bread or different?! enough!
who on earth came up with the idea anyway. I have just been to TED exeter conference and it blew me away. One of the messages was, that it is not the politicians in london, paris or us that have the control anymore. Technology has meant that everyone has a say, and it’s the likes of me and you that now have the power to make change. I am trying to work out how to condense a day of talks into a blog post and it aint!! gonna work. So I will have to break it down into bite size pieces. Maybe this is the answer.
Hi Sue, really sad I missed that, sounded great. True – everyone has their say but are we actually doing anything about it? I guess so, if we get involved in marches and petitions etc. I very much look forward to reading your blog on the conference!
Rachel
If the proposed tax goes ahead in October, then a £2.50 pasty would see a price increase of 50p and as Tracey Alston, finance director at the West Cornwall Pasty Company, explains, “If we passed on the resulting price rise to customers, our medium pasty would go up from £3.40 to £4.50. In these economic times, we just can’t do that to people. My question is ”If a £3.40 pasty attracts a 20% rise for VAT which would be 68p……………. why would a £3.40 pasty go up to £4.50?????? – Confused!!!
Hi Brian, thanks for you comment, I’ve taken out that bit, clearly someone else’s maths is as bad as my own …! what are your thoughts on the tax?
Personally, my thoughts are that I don’t think this government will give up until everything is taxed in one way or another……A close friend of ours has a bakery who had to diversify into selling hot food (breakfasts etc) a few years ago to supplement their income as they were finding it hard to compete with supermarkets on bread alone!! With the ‘pasty tax’ now it once again puts his livelihood into question – I suppose we should be asking ourselves what will be next – childrens Clothes?????