Enjoy 20% off all Drinks in the Tap this January!

In addition to this promotion being a “thank you” to our loyal customers and an attraction to new ones, there is a serious business message for the Chancellor. Pubs and the wider hospitality sector have long been over-taxed and nearly 2,000 pubs have closed since 2020*. Let’s send a message that lowering taxes entices consumers back to pubs, the beating heart of the community.

*source: British Beer & Pub Association

Trade body The British Beer & Pub Association has a list of Key Asks of Government:

• Deliver on promised rates reform by 2026 that deliver permanent and meaningful reductions to the hugely unfair burden on pubs compared to other business sectors. The maximum reduction (20p in the £1) allowable under the new legislation is vital for the ongoing viability of many pubs. This is comparable to the existing RHL relief rate.
• Reduce beer duty toward the EU average. Current rates remain almost 3 times higher. A cut of draught and packaged beer duty by 5% will boost beer sales and add up to 13,000 local jobs. It would also mitigate some of the eye-watering £120m of EPR fees payable this Autumn.
• Mitigation of soaring new employment costs – businesses want to pay their workforce fairly, but they must be viable to do so and are under huge pressure from cumulative costs. Revisiting Employer NICs for hospitality and taking a sustainable approach to the National Living Wage would deliver this.
• Review EPR costs – these will heap a further £124m bill on the sector. The UK has the highest EPR fees in all of Europe – 21x higher than in the Republic of Ireland.  We’re committed to net zero and have made impressive strides on sustainability but, for the scheme to be successful, it is essential that the fees are fair and sustainable. This is an additional cost of 4-6p on each bottle, which sounds small but effectively wipes out any profitability and is equivalent to a 12% rise in beer duty. Glass is 100% recyclable but the high fees could lead to producers switching to less sustainable packaging.
• Cut VAT for pubs and hospitality sector, following the lead of Germany and considerations in Ireland, returning to a 12.5% VAT rate on food and drink in pubs, that would dramatically boost bottom lines, allowing for more employment, investment, and ultimately, tax revenue. Lower VAT rates for hospitality would provide a significant boost for the sector and trade. The food and drink serving sector is the largest contributor to the tourism economy and a competitive tourism offer is vital to reaffirm the UK’s place on the world stage.