One in two consumers plans to reduce his or her spending post-VAT increase With the value-added tax (VAT) increase looming around the corner, British families have started bracing themselves for increased costs of living. New survey data (1,004 respondents; conducted between 8 October 2010 and 18 November 2010) from PriceGrabber.co.uk(R), a part of Experian, reveals nearly a third of British consumers plan to make panic purchases of big-ticket items prior to the VAT increase next week, which will be followed by a period of reduced spending on nonessentials.