Reduced VAT rate for greyhound industry - a complaint Letter to the Editor, Westmeath Topic 13 December 2017 Not content with handing over nearly a quarter of a billion euro of taxpayers' money to the cruel greyhound industry, the government has been giving those involved a reduced rate of VAT for greyhound food. While the general public forks out the standard tax rate of 23% for dog food, greyhound racers and hare coursers are enjoying the reduced rate of just 13.5%. According to Revenue, if dog food is "packaged, advertised or held out for sale solely as greyhound feeding stuff and supplied in units of not less than 10 kilograms", the lower percentage applies. This is another deplorable example of the government subsidising an industry which is being increasingly rejected by the public due to the animal suffering and killing involved. In addition to the €240 million paid out by successive governments (including €16 million for 2018), greyhound tracks are also benefiting from interest-free loans and "operational grants" from the taxpayer-funded Irish Greyhound Board. It's an outrage that with so many worthy causes crying out for funding, politicians choose to squander money on a cruel and crumbling gambling industry. Philip Kiernan Irish Council Against Blood Sports