Yeah unfortunately EU countries have adopted complicated VAT systems in the sense that they have different rates on different categories of goods and services.

Yeah unfortunately EU countries have adopted complicated VAT systems in the sense that they have different rates on different categories of goods and services. New Zealand has a much more sensible system: other than a few categories of services that are zero-rated (like land) for GST (what NZ calls VAT) everything is charged at a flat rate of 15%. It eliminates all the bullshit like decade long court proceedings about whether something is a cake or a biscuit, or silly social media campaigns about whether tampons are "luxury goods". It is all taxed at 15%. That being said, the system is not more complex in the EU really, just more annoying.