Budget decision to apply the VAT zero rate to e-publications

How refreshing to have some good news in the latest Budget. At long last we are going to have zero rating extended to e-publications and at first sight that seems to be all there is to say about the matter. However look closer and we can see an interesting backdrop in both legal and political terms.

For as long as the UK was in the EU we were prevented from adding new VAT zero rates and had worked hard to retain the existing ones. Until Brexit the lowest new VAT relief that the UK could implement was the 5% reduced rate so here is a rare animal – something positive that is related to our exit. Anyway now we have left the EU we can create new zero-rated reliefs with two featuring in the Budget; not...