Whisperer

THE Whisperer spotted this sign outside a café and thought it was food for thought. And judging by the letters page this week there would appear to be only one subject on everyone’s lips … VAT. That’s one good reason to put down your smartphone and have a good moan!

And who should we blame for it? Germany and France were the first countries to implement VAT, doing so in the form of a general consumption tax during World War One. The modern variation of VAT was first implemented by France in 1954 in its Ivory Coast colony. Recognising the experiment as successful, the French introduced it in 1958.

Merci beaucoup.