We hear of price fixing and cartels - an awful lot of woe,
But worst of all is the VAT refund where did the money go?
The man who signs the cheques for Charlie, how could he ever know,
Two hundred million VAT refund - the man who knows is Joe.
Four percent of all your sales swipes half your profit so,
The flat refund makes a lot of sense but where did the money go?
Some was paid to foreigners eager for this dough.
Factories had no CMMS so how were they to know,
Those Foot and Mouth-infected sheep belonged to foreign foe.
Joking aside, the four percent VAT refund should not be administered by those who were found wanting in past tribunals and also during the foot and mouth crisis. At the moment factories can arbitrarily adjust prices so that they effectively pocket the VAT refund.
The cattle offices are best equipped to deal with this for livestock farmers. I'm told it could be paid on top of direct payments. They know where the money should go.