WP article on Scott's MiracleGro and Import Taxes; how VAT work here?

[Linus_Cello]

There was an interesting article yesterday in the Washington Post on how the proposed import tax changes for the US could impact Scott's Miracle-Gro products (I may start stocking up on topsoil, peat, etc). Trying to stay a-political, so my question to the non-US folks is: how does the Value-Added Tax apply to gardening products?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...than-he-bargained-for/?utm_term=.c8d19bb1e5c1

 

[abax]

I thought the value added tax applied to alcohol and tobacco primarily.

 

[Ray]

"Gardening products" in general, I can't say, but in the case of a fertilizer, it's simply a case in which the blend of ingredients has more utility than does the sum of the individual components, separately, so that "value added" is taxed.

In the article, it appeared to be a way to tax imported products without calling it that, as that would violate NAFTA in some of the cases they cited.

 

[Don I]

I don't know about the tax, but when I was googling to find 15-5-15 Cal.Mag. fertilizer I got the impression that Scott's was the Canadian name for Peter's in the US. I could be very wrong though.
Don