French restaurants in new VAT protest

Thousands of French restaurant customers enjoyed cut-price meals this week as eateries staged a national day of protest
against excessive VAT on sit-down dining.

An estimated 4,500 restaurants across France offered customers 5% off their bills as part of the action to persuade ministers to slash tax.

Owners are protesting at the 19.6% VAT charged for sit-down meals compared with the 5.5% charged on take-aways. They claim making fast-food cheaper will erode the nation's culinary traditions.

They also distributed leaflets to customers and sent a petition containing more than 20,000 signatures to prime minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin's Paris offices.

The government has agreed to consider lowering tax if it retains power in the June parliamentary elections.