weald farm

[yantabulla]

I have followed this thread & others about Weald Farm with interest.

I work as a state government regulator in the food industry.

You would be amazed at the number & range of scam artists that earn a living outside of the usual career paths eg real estate, finance, drugs & petty crime.

There are plenty of crooks posing as your local friendly greengrocer, organic farmer, butcher, baker, tinker, taylor (sorry slipped into league of gentlemen mode).

They take advantage of innocent consumers by posing as salt of the earth types who are saving the planet one person at a time & fly under the usual crime radar.

Unfortunately it can be hard to get action from regulators when it involves mysterious things such as bees.

In NSW we have rural crime police officers who have undertaken training in relation to beekeeping & they realise the seriousness of rural crime. They are more concerned with hive theft however it is good that they realise beehives have a value and are something worth pinching.

I know it is confusing when you are faced with a slick website such as the weald farm one but you should look at everything with a slightly jaded eye & ask lots of questions to pick holes in their spiels.

Congratulations to the forum members who have pursued this issue

I'll follow with interest

Yantabulla

 

[Nose Ma]

[There was a long-term argument between one of the large food producers and the 'VAT man' concerning Jaffa cakes - whether it was a biscuit or a cake as one kind of foodstuff has VAT on them and one doesn't! I don't recall the outcome Nose Ma may remember ?].


Yep. Chocolate biscuits attract VAT (actually there is a limit to how much chocolate precipitates VAT, which is why your Rover Family Assortment does not have lots of chocolate biscuits), cakes don't. McVities argued it was a cake, so no VAT. HMRC (well HM Customs back then) said "it's a biscuit, give us the back VAT". The judge decided it was a cake. McVities won. I think it was something to do with stale biscuits going soft and stale cakes going hard.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Thats it then....perhaps Bill is really a Jaffa Cake,but it still sounds like trying to get money out of him would be like trying to push butter up a porkupines ass with a red hot needle.

 

[MrB]

sounds like trying to get money out of him would be like trying to push butter up a porkupines ass with a red hot needle.

What an image !

 

[Ellem]

Yep. Chocolate biscuits attract VAT (actually there is a limit to how much chocolate precipitates VAT, which is why your Rover Family Assortment does not have lots of chocolate biscuits), cakes don't. McVities argued it was a cake, so no VAT. HMRC (well HM Customs back then) said "it's a biscuit, give us the back VAT". The judge decided it was a cake. McVities won. I think it was something to do with stale biscuits going soft and stale cakes going hard.

That's the one. It was ruled that if it goes hard when stale it's a cake (so VAT free, though it always confused me as to why there is VAT on biscuits but not cakes).

 

[Winker]

Can you come and sort my neighbour out, please, Winker?

I am not sure my Scottish accent will cut the mustard over in France

 

[oldtimer]

I have followed this thread & others about Weald Farm with interest.

I work as a state government regulator in the food industry.

You would be amazed at the number & range of scam artists that earn a living outside of the usual career paths eg real estate, finance, drugs & petty crime.

There are plenty of crooks posing as your local friendly greengrocer, organic farmer, butcher, baker, tinker, taylor (sorry slipped into league of gentlemen mode).

They take advantage of innocent consumers by posing as salt of the earth types who are saving the planet one person at a time & fly under the usual crime radar.

Unfortunately it can be hard to get action from regulators when it involves mysterious things such as bees.

In NSW we have rural crime police officers who have undertaken training in relation to beekeeping & they realise the seriousness of rural crime. They are more concerned with hive theft however it is good that they realise beehives have a value and are something worth pinching.

I know it is confusing when you are faced with a slick website such as the weald farm one but you should look at everything with a slightly jaded eye & ask lots of questions to pick holes in their spiels.

Congratulations to the forum members who have pursued this issue

I'll follow with interest

Yantabulla

glad it got interest in australia but that all i want is wot is owed me money or goods
oldtimer

 

[Nose Ma]

That's the one. It was ruled that if it goes hard when stale it's a cake (so VAT free, though it always confused me as to why there is VAT on biscuits but not cakes).

I don't understand the reasoning, but chocolate biscuits are considered a luxury (hence VAT) plain biscuits and cakes are zero rated. Perhaps HMRC are in some way related to Marie Antoinette.

NM

 

[jallen]

should the the forum to picket the farms front gate lol

 

[Luminos]

I am not sure my Scottish accent will cut the mustard over in France

Good point...could you just play the bagpipes to him, then?

 

[OXFORDBEE]

Perhaps HMRC are in some way related to Marie Antoinette.

Hmm ... lined up for the chop?

 

[johna]

I wonder if beecraft got paid for his advert?.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Did he give you a receipt stating VAT value paid on it? If so, I'm not sure but trading standards and HMRC might be interested in knowing about it if he hasn't passed it on (I might be wrong but think they'd class it as fraud and that may slow his 'business' operations in future if so)

If he has deducted VAT, he should be registered. I think HMRC might be interested that you were charged VAT, because I doubt he has paid it.

Which of you stung by him want to make that call? Perhaps all of you charged VAT should make it.

Quite correct if you quote VAT and are not registered then you are committing an offence same if you don't issue a VAT invoice/receipt I'll make enquiries and lodge a report if people are happy with that

 

[PaleoPerson]

Tesco usually gives its prices INCLUDING VAT at the going rate.
So a £200 item at 20% will include about £33 VAT being 20% of (approx) £167 added to the ex-VAT cost of £167....I think.

To calculate VAT at the current (20%) rate you can do the following:

If adding VAT, then the vat amount will be 20% or one fifth. So £100 + 20% =£120.

If finding the VAT content of a VAT inclusive price then divide by six. So £120 divide by six =£20

VAT content of £200 should be £33.33 Goods = £166.67

 

[Stiffy]

he gave me a cheque which bounced 3 times he will not answer phone calls ive left him messages ive also gave him an alternative off a national hive flat pack to see if that will work as i dont think il get money out off him do you think ive done right to offer him a get out

Theres a nice facility on Epay that allows you to ask the seller questions. I had problems with a seller once and used this to good effect!
S

 

[Hebeegeebee]

Judging by the number of views of this thread, there is a lot of interest in this topic.

(Unless there is a desire to know the ins and outs of VAT).

 

[oldtimer]

Please do that for us IM NOT BOTHERED ABOUT VAT JUST WANT WOTS OWED ME

 

[oldtimer]

Possibly at this time I would consider anything I could get out of him a plus, as realistically it looks like you aren't going to get your money, does it?! I mean, he should be refunding your money (I do think this is where we should have the laws like Italy, making writing a rubber cheque illegal) but how likely are you to get it, even if you go the small claims route. If you are happy with goods instead (especially since he seems to still have these to sell on fleabay) then I don't see why you should be thought of any less for it.

got an email off him today saying he will send me a flat pack hive when hes got a brood box in stock but according to his web site got 50 in stock and the cheeky bugger told me to stop ringing him because he got work to do gave him to end off month to send it me

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Has anyone actually got onto Trading Standards about this bloke?

 

[MuswellMetro]

he is still advertising bits on ebay but from his feedback appears to have had only one sale in 90 days rolleyes, so he is not going to get out of trouble with just a single sale