“Yesterday I had a nice meal in a restaurant in the west of Ireland,” begins the mail from a reader called David.
“Upon calling for the bill I was taken aback that in addition to the prices being as set out on the menu, VAT at 23 per cent and at 13 per cent was added separately,” he continues.
“Rather than causing a scene over €8 I paid and included a tip. I don’t recall anything on the menu to say the prices were net of VAT and cannot find a reference to this issue on their website. Is this legal?”
The very short but completely unambiguous answer is no.
And you don’t have to take our word for it.
We got in touch with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, and a spokeswoman said all restaurants “must display prices on their menus and immediately outside or inside the entrance to their premises. These prices must give the final price, inclusive of taxes and charges such as VAT.”
She said breaches of this rule were not reported regularly to the commission “and no enforcement action has been taken previously in relation to this. However, our consumer enforcement division would be interested in the details of the restaurant and any evidence of a potential breach.”
She said that if a consumer “has a complaint about the pricing of any good or service, we recommend that they first complain directly to the trader. If a consumer believes that a trader has breached their consumer rights, such as not complying with the laws around the display of prices, they should also complain to the CCPC by contacting our helpline on 01-4025555 or by emailing ask@ccpc.ie.”