VAT has been designed as a broad-based tax on consumption, and the 20 per cent standard rate applies to the vast majority of goods and services, including television broadcasting services. While there are exceptions to the standard rate, these have always been strictly limited by both legal and fiscal considerations.

One such exception is the zero rate on supplies of e-publications, brought into effect on 1 May 2020. This was introduced to make it clear that e-books, e-newspapers, e-magazines, and academic e-journals are entitled to the same VAT treatment as their physical counterparts. Further guidance on the application of the zero rate on e-publications, including subscriptions to e-publications, can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/zero-rate-of-vat-for-electronic-publications.

The Government keeps all taxes under review and welcomes representations to help inform future decisions on tax policy, as part of the tax policy making cycle and Budget process.