Compare VAT rates by country

Groceries: Basic food for eating at home: bread, milk, fresh meat and vegetables. Price before VAT: £100.00 in every country.

Country	VAT rate	VAT	Price with VAT	Official source
United Kingdom	0%Sweets, crisps, soft drinks, hot takeaway food and catering are 20%.	£0.00	£100.00	gov.uk: VAT rates on different goods and services
Ireland	0%Bread, milk, meat and vegetables are zero rated. Bakery products such as brioche, croissants and garlic bread are 13.5%.	£0.00	£100.00about €119.37	Revenue: VAT rates database, milk
France	5.5%Confectionery, some chocolate products, margarine and caviar are 20%. Ready to eat takeaway food is 10%.	£5.50	£105.50about €125.94	European Commission, Taxes in Europe Database: France, foodstuffs
Germany	7%Groceries listed in UStG Anlage 2 are 7%: meat (No. 2), milk (No. 4), vegetables (No. 10), bread and baked goods (No. 31). Most drinks are 19%, and so is anything not listed in Anlage 2.	£7.00	£107.00about €127.73	UStG § 12 Steuersätze (gesetze-im-internet.de)

Amounts in local currency use the European Central Bank reference rate for 22 October 2026, to give a sense of scale. On an invoice or VAT return, use the rate the tax authority requires: for UK VAT, HMRC's monthly exchange rates.

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53 situation rates are confirmed so far, across 8 countries; standard rates cover every country. A rate we have not confirmed on an official source shows as "Not checked yet" rather than a guess. On a computer, hover over a source to see the exact words it uses.