I think this is an excellent policy, and a long time coming. This is done overseas with good effect. While I don’t think it’s a magic bullet, it is definitely a step in the right direction.

  • @RangelusOP
    link
    011 months ago

    You disagree that something is better than nothing? Because if you look carefully you will see that’s what I said. It’s not perfect, but it’s something. Small steps is how progress happens.

    What am I lying about? I never claimed to have a magic bullet solution. I never claimed this would solve all problems.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      111 months ago

      I disagree that this is anything. No I think it’s barely fluff. It’s not even meh. Very far from Perfect. I’m pretty sure you’d be hard pressed to find anyone expecting the govt to do anything perfect. But this is just nuts.

      No but you claimed nobody can come up with it. Plenty ideas out there. This isn’t it

      • @RangelusOP
        link
        011 months ago

        It is a small change, but a positive change nonetheless. GST/VAT free produce has been trialed and found effective in many overseas countries, so it seems plain to me that it would be a good thing here.

        Complex social issues are rarely fixable with a single policy, so at least Labour is trying to do something.

        • @Ilovethebomb
          link
          011 months ago

          GST / VAT has been a beaurecratic nightmare in a number of countries as well.

          • @RangelusOP
            link
            111 months ago

            I’ve been to many countries where this policy exists, and there has never been an issue that I’ve seen. But perhaps your experiences trump mine, so let’s try something else.

            If there are countries where this policy causes no problems, and also ones where there are issues, perhaps the difference comes down to implementation? If so, why are you so quick to dismiss this policy as ‘too difficult’ and ‘fraught with problems’ when it does not need to be either of these things? Could it be that you just love to hate on anything Labour does? Or perhaps it is, as I said before, that you (like so many here) will dismiss any change if it does not appear a perfect solution.

            • @Ilovethebomb
              link
              011 months ago

              Where are these countries where it has been implemented with no issues?

              • @RangelusOP
                link
                111 months ago

                Canada is but one example.

                • @Ilovethebomb
                  link
                  011 months ago

                  You mean apart from the multiple court cases over GST classifications I linked you to in another thread?

                  • @RangelusOP
                    link
                    011 months ago

                    None of which were related to food. No-one is arguing that we want to completely copy the tax code of other countries, or that we want to use implementations that have proven difficult. All they want to do is zero-rate produce. Just that, nothing else. The only example you can find is the one from the UK. I know of one other case in Australia btw. But just because it has happened in a couple of other countries doesn’t mean it needs to here. Giving up on positive change because of the slight risk of potential litigation down the road is stupid.