I have been trading as a fish and chip shop owner for 6 months having taken over an existing business. I employ 10 people, albeit it on varying shifts, have high supplier bills, constant repairs, a formidable wage bill and am slammed for £900 per week in VAT. Has this government completely lost the plot? We have mass unemployment, a double dip recession, austerity measures, VAT at 20% - we are a broken country. The PM should focus on cleaning up the antics going on in the House of Lords and then start supporting us before another 500 of us go bust this week. WAKE UP!

Absolutely right the Govt should cut tax for Fish and Chips. It's a national institution and if you're in the F&C business, extremely hard work. Owners of successfull fish and chip shops work excessive hours at unsociable hours for very little. Get the VAT sorted in supermarkets, there's more of them that there are fish and chip shops and they can carry the VAT better than smaller, independently owned fish and chip shops. Give us a break!

Those who don't want to pay an extra 20% could always buy raw food and cook it themselves! or is that idea too radical as well as probably being healthier?

Once the furore has settled, people will see that it is actually levelling the playing field with regards hot food of different types. It would have been nicer to reduce the VAT on things like fish and chips instead of raising it on pastry fares but as seen before with the Bliar Government, there is always something else to tax!

Can't beat a good healthy British bit of food - Battered fish & Chips or pasties!...and people some people say we're unhealthy as a nation and have poor food.

Check the VAT rules Mark, if they supply a microwave they are offering hot food and have to pay VAT - it's on the HMRC website.

Microwaved pies .... eurrrggghhhh ... no good, that means soggy pastry.

why all the fuss why dont you just sell the pies cold and allow free use of a microwave to heat the pies after sale problem solved and no tax involved