The European Commission is not considering tax measures to encourage healthier eating, according to a response from Wopke Hoekstra, Commissioner for Climate, Net Zero and Clean Growth, on Friday 24 January.
In a written question in November, a dozen MEPs from the ECR and EPP groups asked the European Commission what new steps the Commission was considering “taking in order to coordinate efforts to boost fresh fruit and vegetable consumption throughout the EU” in order to combat certain diseases.
“When adopting the 2022 reform of the Value Added Tax (VAT) rates, Member States unanimously agreed on allowing for the maximum flexibility for food”, emphasised Mr Hoekstra. Member States can choose to apply reduced VAT rates (below 5%) or a zero rate to the supply of foodstuffs. Member States “must respect the principle of fiscal neutrality inherent in the VAT system, which prohibits treating similar, and therefore competing, products differently”, he added.
Furthermore, “experience shows that when VAT rates are reduced, the pass-on rate is relatively low” in respect of final consumer prices.
Read the answer: https://aeur.eu/f/f91 (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)