Dear Editor,
It appears that the VAT in some supermarkets on items sold is done in an arbitrary manner. On two occasions I purchased the same three items which are flour products, and on one occasion the sum of eighty dollars in tax was added to the bill. On another occasion at a different supermarket the price of the tinned item on the shelf showed $168, but the same item at the cashier was $199.
Many a customer is unwittingly duped when a quantity of shelf-priced items end up embarrassing them at the cashier’s booth. Why can’t the VAT inclusive price be the one displayed on the shelves?
I am of the belief that in many cases unsuspecting buyers are being fleeced at the cashier counters when taxes are added to bills in such a way as to force the payment of an increased price. I strongly urge these supermarkets to place on the items the price that the customer must pay inclusive of VAT.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)
