Osborne Can't Remember Visiting Greggs As The Pasty Tax Row Heats Up

Osborne Finds The Pasty Tax Row Is Heating Up

George Osborne has come under fire from MPs for his decision to add 20% VAT on hot pasties and pies.

In a grilling by John Mann MP, Osborne defended imposing the tax on the baked goods. After Osborne's budget, all food sold "above ambient temperature" would carry VAT.

Mann fired questions at the Chancellor about whether the tax, dubbed the "pasty tax", applied on baked goods that were sold cold - or if originally hot but had gone cold. The Chancellor grimaced as he defended his decision.

Mann suddenly asked Osborne: "When was the last time you bought a pasty from Greggs?'

Osborne admitted: "I can't remember the last time I bought a pasty at Greggs"

Mann shot back: "That sums it up".

While the Granny Tax (with its Twitter hashtag #Grannytax) might not be considered a tax in the strictest sense, enough Cornish people have been incensed by the VAT changes to cause #pastytax to trend on Twitter.

It should be noted for balance, however that David Cameron did visit the headquarters of Greggs in January of 2011.

George Osborne has been warned that the pasty tax could damage the Cornish economy.

Thousands of people have joined a Facebook campaign urging the government to rethink the plans. Cornwall councillor Alex Folkes, who set up the Say No To The Pasty Tax group on Facebook, said: "Plans by the Government to introduce VAT on hot takeaway food from bakeries and supermarkets will actually mean a 'pasty tax' which will cost Cornwall jobs.

What with Tory donor dinners and rows over pasties, we noticed a strange correlation between political scandals and food...

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