Monday, July 07, 2008

The new-fangled potato chip

This Associated Press story made me laugh out loud:
Britain's High Court has ruled that Pringles are not a potato snack, and thus are not subject to value-added tax.

Friday's ruling by Justice Nicholas Warren is expected to save millions for the manufacturer, Procter & Gamble Co.

Warren overruled a VAT Tribunal decision that Pringles should be subject to the 17.5-percent tax because it met the definition of "potato crisps, potato sticks, potato puffs and similar products made from the potato, or from potato flour, or from potato starch."

The judge found that Pringles were only 42 percent potato, and thus exempt.

P&G spokeswoman Marina Barker says the company is pleased with the ruling.

Yes, the company escaped the dread VAT tarriff, and everyone knows the chip is only loosely potato-ish. Potato-esque, if you will. Potato-reminiscent. How very pleasing!

One does wonder what the other 58% consists of, no?

Oh, and reduced blog posting for the foreseeable future.

12 comments:

punkinsmom said...

I was wondering the very same thing about that other 58%.
And I used to like Pringles!

Anonymous said...

does this apply to the sour cream and onion and bar-b-q too?

sgreerpitt said...

Here's what I found on-line
DRIED POTATOES, VEGETABLE OIL (CONTAINS ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING: CORN OIL, COTTONSEED OIL, AND/OR SUNFLOWER OIL), WHEAT STARCH, MALTODEXTRIN, SALT, RICE FLOUR AND DEXTROSE. CONTAINS WHEAT INGREDIENTS.

sounds like the primary other ingredients are wheat starch and rice flour.

A said...

hmm...and are you sure those are the real ingredients and not anagrams for some neurotoxins?

i mean, its possible you knoe, they being addictive and all...

A said...

knoe!!!

now i know what pringles are doing to me!

Bix said...

How about that. I would think that dried potatoes would be a fairly cheap ingredient. Maybe it doesn't produce the right texture.

Anonymous said...

I'm pretty sure they're fungus chips. (Although, to be honest, I'm not sure where fungus falls under VAT rules...)

Jim Donahue said...

You men, like Quorn?

http://www.cspinet.org/quorn/

A said...

err....that thing is still in the market? I am rather surprised!

Well....we indians are not too fond of fungi!

Jim Donahue said...

A: While I think Quorn is for sale in the U.S., it's not common--but I think it's widely available in England.

I, for one, will be skipping.

Grammarian@mindspring.com said...

Pringles are different in China. They're smaller, and they don't taste the same.

The Sizzler! said...

jeez. and i'm a pringoholic (that doesn't sound right, does it?)