Zero rate VAT on basic foodstuffs
22.12.2021
Priority question for written answer P-005683/2021
to the Commission
Rule 138
Bogdan Rzońca (ECR)
Retail prices in the food sector have an impact on the cost of living for households. In Poland, the average household spends 27.77% of overall consumer spending on food. Food prices are affected by related costs, including fertiliser, fuel and energy.
Food is one of the basic goods that meet human consumption needs. Consequently, inflation can be a big threat for the most vulnerable households and can undermine people’s sense of economic security.
For social reasons to do with a Member State’s internal policies, it may be necessary to apply zero rate VAT to foodstuffs.
Against a backdrop of rising inflation, policy must be guided above all by the economic interests of taxpayers.
- 1.Would the Commission allow a Member State to apply a zero rate of VAT on basic foodstuffs in order to protect consumers from the effects of inflation in the period preceding the entry into force of the updated EU rules on VAT rates?
- 2.Can the Commission confirm that this year’s increases in gas prices and CO2 allowances will be reflected in higher food prices in 2022?
- 3.What action has the Commission taken so far to address the short- and long-term factors driving fluctuations in food prices, in particular the links between energy markets and food commodity prices?