Monday, January 10/2011

This is boycott food day, as proposed (but not well organised) by the Green Party. It's the first day of the new 5% VAT being charged on food and medicine. The usual tax rate is 15% but until now food and drugs have been exempt. Itès as regressive a tax as they come, hitting the poor and pensioners disproportionately as seen fit by the current Communist led coalition. And the explanation that the over-large civil service has a COLA and won't be affected is designed to enrage. So we've joined the one day food purchase boycott - clearly a symbolic protest only. Though J, who goes to the supermarkets to pick up the weekly advertisements, says there's little sign of anyone else boycotting as throngs take advantage of the compensatory sales mounted in order to overcome any slowdown in buying caused by the new tax.