VAT is a tax charged of each economic agent involved in the business cycle of manufacturing of a product or providing a service within the scope of taxation. VAT, charged by the operators, is transferred to the state budget.
Value-added tax (VAT) is charged as a percentage of the value added at every level of production of a good. A cider maker would pay a percentage of the difference between what they charge for cider and what they pay for apples. Put differently; this is a tax on company's gross margins, rather than just the end user.
There are standard VAT rates in effect, for example the standard VAT rate could be 20%, and some reduced rates could be 9% and 5% respectively, but they depend on each country.