I can only talk about Germany, and any change in VAT, be it the raise from 16 to 19% in 2007, or a recent cut to 7% for restaurants and hotels, generally gets a

I can only talk about Germany, and any change in VAT, be it the raise from 16 to 19% in 2007, or a recent cut to 7% for restaurants and hotels, generally gets a lot of publicity. People may not be reminded about it constantly, but they are definitely aware of it.