A few days ago Venezuelan President Chavez announced that the government will increase VAT (sales tax) from 9% to 12% to provide a cushion in the event that the US-born economic "crisis" hits Venezuela ... which still hasn't except for the failure of the US-based Stanford bank here in Venezuela.

I've heard several small shop owners (mostly Portuguese) complain out loud that Chavez is "again" playing around with business by "changing the rules."  They openly express hatred against Chavez for taking logical-yet-mild measures to protect Venezuelans from any direct influence of the US economic crisis which is now affecting those countries which have slept with the US prostitutes and their criminal capitalist system of excess and massive fraud at the hands of their political and business leaders, leaving the day-to-day honest US citizens and their families with personal bankruptcies and loss of jobs and homes.

• In 1998, the IVA was at 16.5% in Venezuela … and then Chavez was elected … and then VAT was reduced over the years to 9%. 

But what about the sales tax in other countries today?

• Uruguay 23%

• UK 15%

• Ukraine 20%

• Sweden 25%

• Spain 16%

• Poland 22%

• Portugal 20%

• Norway 25%

• Japan 20%

• Ireland 21%

• Germany 19%

• France 19.6%

• Chile 19%

• Brazil 25%

• Argentina 21%

• Colombia 16%

• Peru 19%

The above figures vary depending on products or services offered and is only a sampling of some countries.

Note that Portugal ... the country where the small-market Portuguese complainers were born ... is up to 20% in sales tax (in addition to up to 40% personal tax) … versus 12% VAT in Venezuela … and personal tax of up to 34%. 

Hummm … let me think … where is one better off in terms of taxation?