For many years, campaigns have been heard that try to make our governments aware that diapers are practically essential items and that the VAT applied to them is excessive. However, for years, politicians have been ignoring such complaints and, with each VAT increase, the price of diapers has also risen.
On September 1, the last increase in Value Added Tax, aka VAT, will be applied in Spain, the one that the PP was not going to touch a few months ago and that way diaper VAT will go from 18% to 21%, without changes in its consideration: if it is an article that could be considered luxury it will become an article that parents could consider super-luxury.
I say this because as many of you will know in Spain there are three types of VAT, the normal one, which is applied to most of the products, which is 18% and which will become 21%, the reduced one, which is 8% and that will happen to be 10% and the super-reduced one, which is 4% and that will not be touched, which is the one that is applied to the products considered of first necessity.
The super reduced VAT
I'm sure you're wondering what are the necessities, so let's answer it. The basic necessities are basic foods (bread, cereals, vegetables and vegetables, milk, cheese and eggs), housing, newspapers and magazines and books in paper format (yes, to which they have electronic format they are applied 21%, lest we think of stopping to buy books "for real").
By the way, as I have been able to read, the super-reduced VAT expires at the end of 2012, at which point it will disappear, with a 10% reduced VAT applied to all items.
VAT reduced
Once the first question is answered, you will be wondering now what are the items to which the reduced VAT applies, Let's go there. As of September 1, 10% of VAT will be applied to transport, all remaining food (removing those already mentioned as essential) and excluding alcohol, and hospitality, which is broken down as follows:
- Catering or catering services provided in bars or cafes where recreational or gaming machines are installed, as well as billiards, table football, darts, children's play machines, etc.
- Bar and restaurant services provided in bingo halls, casino and betting rooms.
- The catering or catering service together with the accessory service of musical performance, dance, etc., contracted in the celebration of weddings, baptisms and other similar events.
Normal VAT
It is the one that applies to everything else, a group where some articles or centers that were part of the small one such as cinema and theater and aesthetic centers, including hairdressers, have entered. This is the group in which diapers, compresses and tampons are found and all the school material that Mireia already spoke about at the time.
This is where one does not understand what is the criterion that applies to the different articles, centers and events. In terms of culture I will not enter because it is not the purpose of the entry or the theme of the blog, although I would certainly give a good time, considering that we are talking about Spain, so I will focus on diapers.
Diapers, "super-luxury" items
When 18% of VAT was applied to diapers, many said that with such a tax they were luxury items, comparing them with 4% of essential items. Now the difference is greater, because the VAT that will be applied will be 21%, 17% more than the necessities, which makes them look like an article of super luxury, a whim of the parents.
Here is the crux of the matter: Why are diapers not necessities? Perhaps the lords of this government and those of the previous mandates consider that small babies are prepared to pee and poop in the WC since they are born and that parents put them diapers because we are very comfortable.
They may think that in China they do better, not wearing diapers children and doing their things in the street, taking the precaution of wearing the bored pants and half ass in the air so as not to stain clothes.
Perhaps a diaper is a dispensable element, considering that water, basins, soap and sponges (and washing machines, of course) still exist.
Well, look, maybe I could even understand it if they explained it to me like that (although I doubt it), but at the moment when I see that 10% is applied to the hospitality and catering of bars or cafes where there are recreational machines, table football, machines of darts, etc., or to the bar and restaurant services of bingo halls, casino and betting rooms, since one no longer understands anything.
Ok, now I'm talking about reduced VAT, but if 10% is applied to this, 21% cannot be applied to diapers. The minimum would be to be part of the same group and the logical thing would be for them to be exchanged or for the diapers to pass, directly, to the group of essential items, with their 4%.
Governing gentlemen, since they have withdrawn aid to families and since the birth rate of their country gives them an "M", at least (and only with this help would be ridiculous) consider diapers necessities so that those of us who still have babies in Spain don't feel so mistreated (you know, "besides fucking, beat ”).
PS: And since they are, do the same with the pads and tampons. It is true that in a woman's bag fits a mitt, some soap and some spare panties, but they will agree with me that it is not a plan.
