The 40th anniversary of VAT in the UK

Chas Roy-Chowdhury, May 2013. This paper provides a high-level review of the first 40 years of VAT in the UK, its context in the European Union and its future prospects. We see in the paper the general trend towards governments using VAT to a much greater extent as a significant revenue raiser and the increasing pressures to broaden the VAT base by reducing exemptions and zero rates.