Pasty tax protestors to hit town (From Warrington Guardian)

Pasty tax protestors to hit town

2:39pm Friday 13th April 2012 in News

CAMPAIGNERS will stage a pasty protest outside Greggs in Golden Square next week.

The protestors will be wearing George Osborne masks as they complain about the so-called ‘pasty tax’ introduced during the Budget.

The demonstration, which will be supported by the Bakers Union, is part of the North West TUC’s campaign for an alternative to the Coalition’s austerity measures.

Regional secretary Alan Manning said: “It’s unfair for this Conservative-led Government to increase VAT on hot food.

“It hits Warrington people on low incomes, because they especially spend more of their hard-earned money at the local bakers.

“And its bad news for bakers like Greggs, who will now have to pay out more tax to the Chancellor.

“It should be the bankers, not the bakers, who pay for this recession.

“We will be in Warrington on Wednesday to rally opposition to the pasty tax which is supported by David Mowat (Warrington South MP).

“And we will be putting the alternative – a tax on bankers bonuses, a crackdown on tax avoidance, and VAT on posh schools like Eton, rather than ‘bread and butter’ items like food.”

Warrington South MP David Mowat said: "If any of the protesters are from Warrington they should move 200 yards up the road to the Stockton Fryer who pay VAT at the full rate on their fish and chips.

"The protesters could then explain to the small business people who run the chip shop why they should pay Vat while a multimillion pound enterprise such as Greggs should not.......failure to do this will expose them as vacuous and opportunistic."