[kvemkon]

> the domestic EU producers are paying VAT at each stage of their production process.

As long as I know, VAT should be payed only once for a finished product when sold to the very end customer.

[Muromec]

No. The vat is payed by the seller on full price of what they sell. So does their supplier. The trick is -- yoy get tax credits when your supplier is a vat payer. As a result, the tax is collected in parts over the final price sold to the non-business customer.

Which is why being a registered one man company with a vat number allows you to get back vat for your laptop