French Bullfighting Rings Must Charge Higher 20% VAT Rate

France’s tax office has told bullfighting rings that they aren’t eligible for a reduced 5.5.% value added tax rate and must instead pay the much higher 20% rate.

In guidance published Oct. 31 the government said that the blood sport is a spectacle that isn’t equivalent to variety shows. Variety shows in France are subject to a much lower 5.5% rate.

• The guidance follows a Feb. 15 2019 judgment by France’s constitutional court, Conseil d’État, that dismissed bullfighting company Plateau de Valras’s legal bid to be reclassified as a variety show.
• The company had argued that ...