In a letter to the Minister of National Economy and Finance Mr. Kostis Hatzidakis, the Panhellenic Federation of Restaurants and Related Professions (POESE) requests the horizontal maintenance of VAT at 13% on coffee as well as non-alcoholic beverages, from July 1, 2024, the VAT on served coffee increases to 24% from the current 13%. At the same time for coffee in hand or by delivery or VAT remained at 13%.
“It is very difficult for us to understand what logic you are pursuing with this increase, when coffee is already subject to excise tax (since 2017). transferred from absolute to the consumer, because the international price of coffee in last six months increased for the Arabica variety by 17% and for the Robusta variety by 50%!!”, said POESE.
As the letter emphasizes, inflation and accuracy will strengthen, which the government has declared as the most important problem that it wants to effectively deal with.
“Measurements of pure income nature” for coffee
“This chaotic gap between words and deeds has caused serious dissatisfaction in the industry. And unfortunately this is not the first time as the government has announced that it will not raise any tax but it has been done at least twice, once with the increase in VAT on served non-alcoholic beverages and once within the next few days with the corresponding increase in coffee”.
POESE emphasizes that the two regulations in the mind of professionals are nothing but measures that are pure collection of nature at a time when public revenues are constantly increasing, while the policy of the two meters and two stations that they follow are also annoying, because they are heavy. only a part of the businesses, thus reinforcing the unfair competition, because the big coffee and food chains basically benefit from the reduction of VAT.