Subway bread not bread, say Irish

2 October 2020 - The rolls used in Subway's hot sandwiches contain too much sugar to be considered bread, according to Ireland's Supreme Court. An Irish franchisee of the US company had claimed it should not pay VAT on the rolls it uses in heated sandwiches, but the court ruled that because of the level of sugar in the rolls they cannot be taxed as bread, which is classed as a "staple product" with zero VAT.

Under Ireland's VAT Act of 1972, ingredients in bread such as sugar and fat should not exceed 2% of the weight of flour in the dough. The judges  concluded that in Subway sandwiches the sugar content is around 10% of the flour in the dough for both white and wholegrain rolls.