Capital Summertime Ball 2024

[E*F*4L]

They are now VAT free!

Pringles, the popular snack food in a tube, are not potato crisps, a High Court judge has ruled.

Their packaging, "unnatural shape" and the fact that the potato content is less than 50% helped Mr Justice Warren make his crunch decision.

As a result, Pringles, in all flavours are free from Value Added Tax (VAT).

Manufacturer Procter & Gamble (P&G) is likely to save millions of pounds as a result of the decision - with customers also likely to pay less.

Spud impact

P&G had gone to court to challenge a VAT and Duties Tribunal decision that the Pringle was subject to the standard 17.5% rate of VAT because it was it was "a potato crisp product", which are, unlike most food, subject to the tax.

But the manufacturer had insisted that their best-selling product was not similar to potato crisps, because of their "mouth melt" taste, "uniform colour" and "regular shape" which "is not found in nature".

It also argued that potato crisps - unlike Pringles - did not contain non-potato flours, and were not packaged in tubes.

Pringles are more like a cake or a biscuit, it claimed, because they are manufactured from dough.

Mr Justice Warren ruled that Pringles were not "made from the potato" - as set out in the definition laid down by the 1994 VAT Act.

To be subject to VAT, a product "must be wholly, or substantially wholly, made from the potato".

But he said that Pringles did not meet these criteria - being made from potato flour, corn flour, wheat starch and rice flour together with fat and emulsifier, salt and seasoning, with a potato content of about 42%.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7490346.stm

[Lucinda]

To be honest, the above description of how they are made kind of puts me off eating them.

I used to like the original, sour cream and onion and salt and vinegar flavours but I haven't had any in aaaages.

[E*F*4L]

they taste nice though.

the best ones are original eaten at the same time as some chocolate

scrummy

[E*F*4L]

:shock:

you can get Pringles for free

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[Jessica Lares]

I love Pringles, gee, I'll go get the can right now.

[Jono]

They taste so fastening and unhealthy. I'd rather not go near them.

[E*F*4L]

go on jono treat yourself

[YoppaDo]

I voted Sour Cream and Onion, yum.

[simonf]

I voted Sour Cream and Onion, yum.

I went for those ones as well. Original are pretty damn nice too though I miss the Pringles machine we had in halls :cry:

[Rik]

wow free pringles, ive never seen one of those machines before. we must be deprived in derby

[Danishgirl]

Pringles are not my favourite potato crisps, I prefer the ones that look more "natural", like these. Oh yes

[Andy B]

Those Walkers Baked crisps are great. But you only get about 5 in a packet!

[Lucinda]

Those Walkers Baked crisps are great. But you only get about 5 in a packet!

I love the Ready Salted ones. I thought I was the only person who actually liked them. I think they taste better than normal Walkers crisps.

I had some Kettles Sea Salt and Balsamic Vinegar crisps earlier. They are in an entirely different league to Pringles.... soooooo nice. Expensive, but nice.

[Emma]

I love any crisps really, my mum had to stop buying so many because I kept eating them all. I haaate Pringles! I can put up with the salt and vinegar ones, but I don't get the deal with sour cream and onion :/

[YFOS]

I always thought they were very thin little biscuits! how embarassing!

[SEANN]

Pringles are disgusting, in any flavour

[Guest]

I've never liked pringles, yuck.

[Nikki]

I much prefer crisps to pringles. However pringles are better to take on a picnic because they don't get squashed in their tube.

[E*F*4L]

Pringles are not my favourite potato crisps, I prefer the ones that look more "natural", like these. Oh yes

but once you 'POP' you can't stop

[KingTutsWWH]

Ick. Don't like any type of Pringles, they have a horrible texture and coat the roof of your mouth with grease. I'm with Sigrid on this one. If I eat crisps I prefer the natural salted type.