"Gordon Hudson" <hostroute@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:4597debd$0$757$5a6aecb4@news.aaisp.net.uk...[color=blue]
>
> "Harry Stottle" <sorryspamdoesntwork@nospam.uk.co> wrote in message
> news:45978f8a$0$97274$892e7fe2@authen.yellow.readfreenews.net...[color=green]
>> There have been several discussions in various newsgroups recently
>> about
>> if companies are obliged to quote VAT inclusive prices when
>> advertising
>> goods or items for sale to the general public. The main objectors
>> against quoting VAT inclusive prices have been companies that sell to
>> other companies, but who also sell to the general public, and their
>> argument was that because they do not have to quote VAT inclusive
>> prices
>> when selling to other companies, this somehow excuses them from
>> quoting
>> VAT inclusive prices if they also sell to the general public.
>>
>> The ASA (Advertising Standard Agency)[/color]
>
> Sadly ASA has no clout.
> It will take a change by HM revenue and customs to actually make any
> difference.
> My business loses lots of sales by quoting VAT inclusive prices as it
> makes us look more expensive than our competitors.
>[/color]

This is one of the reasons why the legislation was introduced, to make
sure that everyone quotes VAT in the same way so prices can be easily
compared. It is only since internet sales have become popular that some
of these companies have been trying to get around the regulations by not
quoting VAT inclusive prices, these companies have now been shown to be
in the wrong, and should be reported.

It doesn't matter if the ASA "has no clout", they can only adjudicate on
the basis of the law, otherwise companies would not take any notice of
them, and companies do take notice of the ASA. Dell have accepted they
were wrong and apologised to the ASA, so the ASA censuring Dell is an
important event in defining how VAT should be displayed.