It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a new dwelling constructed and sold, must be zero rated. Jane Austen probably chose not to write this sentence because it is not true.
A variety of cases have demonstrated that the VAT rules relating to property are opaque, and the judge in one case was roundly condemnatory: ‘With the greatest reluctance … we are accordingly forced by an absurd (and perhaps none too carefully drafted) law into an absurd decision, which flies in the face of common sense, of equity and of the ‘social purpose’ which is supposed to underlie and inform zero rating.’
Source Wrighthassal
