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Shop owner apologises over VAT mishap
The manager of a retail business in Amersham has apologised for an "oversight" which saw his shop charge an incorrect VAT rate on the purchase of alcohol.
A customer, who contacted the Examiner anonymously, pointing out the mistake, bought alcohol at the Londis store in Hill Avenue on January 31, only to be charged the old rate of 17.5 per cent and not the new rate of 15 per cent.
After pointing out the error, the customer was reimbursed before contacting the newspaper about the misdemeanour.
Red faced manager Sandip Patel apologised for the error and said a till roll inaccuracy was corrected immediately after management were notified of the mistake.
Chancellor Alastair Darling lowered the rate of VAT on relevant purchased during his mini budget in the House of Commons back in December.
A chastened Mr Patel said: "A colleague was here at the time of the incident. The gentleman who complained was reimbursed. I would like to apologise for the oversight.
"We do not want to be seen doing the wrong thing. As soon as we became aware of what was a till roll error we changed it straightaway.
"Most goods do not carry VAT but some do."
Mr Patel was adamant that price and administrative changes were always attended to promptly and efficiently. "This is an oversight and the change in VAT came about during the Christmas rush, " he said.
The customer in question, who would not be named, said: "Some might say that this was a nice little earner. But it is not known if the overcharges have been rectified."
Amanda Poole, a spokesman for Bucks Trading Standards, said the error was not tantamount to a criminal offence.
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