Price gouging by the pub, restaurant & hotel industry

Had a lovely lunch with the wife today 20 minutes outside Dublin.

1 burger with sweet potato fries, BLT with chips, 2 ice lattes, 2 regular lattes and a desert. 47 euro. Link below on Kilcock. https://www.ryerivercafe.com/

The food was unbelievable, brought our dog and had a walk after. Some places are gouging no doubt about it but there is some nicely priced and good services if you search for it.

Had breakfast yesterday West Dublin, 3 people including coffees 30 euro and that included tip.

Updated to include cafe I went too

But that's how VAT works - it's a consumer tax, at whatever rate paid on the total.

Look at motor fuels, the gov put more duty/ carbon taxes on them, the price/ltr goes up and then VAT is charged on top of the increases.

There's been a lot of price inflation recently for both consumers and businesses. As someone running a small business I used the reduced rate of VAT to absorb some of the increased costs but feck it, when the state jacked VAT back to 13.5%, now way was I absorbing that and the produce costs more now to the consumer.

VAT is a state tax, so if you annoyed about it, go bother the politicians - not the people who have to collect it and then pay it onto revenue. We only act as unpaid tax collectors.

Updated with a link.

the ultimate gougers seem to be take aways.

At one stage a couple of years ago I could get a meal deal for two in an Indian consisting of:

two mains

two rice

chips

two starters

popadoms

chutney

naan bread

for €35 including delivery. Same order now costs €55 two years later!

Bought two bags of chips in the local chipper last Wednesday and it cost me €9! Rip off.

I suppose if people keep paying it the prices will keep going up though.

Try Aldi's rib-eye steaks. Lovely and even cheaper.

What are you on about? I have produce selling at a certain price, the costs of producing rise constantly.

The government lowers the second reduced rate of VAT from 13.5% to 9%. This enables me for a period to absorb rising costs, minimising any increase in retail prices.

The government reverses this and puts the rate back to 13.5% - sorry but the retail prices have to rise. It's a consumer tax, you the consumer pay VAT.

Businesses would greatly prefer if there were no VAT at all. As it is, we are and I repeat unpaid tax collectors for the state. We are collecting VAT or Sales Tax from you.. and then giving it to Revenue. If you have a problem with this, go annoy your local TDs

People are really going to have to vote with their pockets at this stage. If you have to go to the pub have food before you head out.

Chicken Curry €19.50

Lasagne €18:50

FFS. That's just pure robbery. I bet the place was fairly full though?

Yeah the gourmet burger. I see the local Macaris has it on their menu.

Its starting to ramp up already in 2023 30% more insolvencies than in the same period last year and the hospitality sector has 3 fold increase and this before the winter and the oncoming increase in energy and petrol/oil. The gougers are going to be decimated over the next year or 2.

Has to be the place which "renowned " itself on the best steaks in the area for years... few minutes outside Drogheda northbound ?

Gone are the days of going out for food and pints. It's one or the other now and even that's becoming less of a thing. We have to be one of the most expensive places in Europe for shite food.

Your last sentence sums it up. Plenty of people can well afford to eat and drink out and enjoy themselves.

Then you have the miserable folk who spend the whole time moaning because they just can't afford it.