The British Beer & Pub Association, the leading trade association representing Britain’s Brewers and pubs, has today welcomed a pledge from the Conservative Party to support pubs.
Emma McClarkin, Chief Executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, commented, 'Pubs are the heart of our communities, so this commitment to ease the burden of business rates is welcome. Three pubs a day close their doors for good due to the tax pressures they face.
'On business rates alone, pubs pay 2.8% of the business rates bill, despite accounting for just 0.5% of turnover. Reducing rates for pubs is an important step in the right direction. Such reliefs are vital until the fundamentally unfair system is overhauled.
“Investment is the lifeblood of community pubs, so it is important that measures to bolster the rights of individual communities to purchase pubs do not act as a disincentive to investment. Given that seven in ten alcoholic drinks sold in a pub are beer, the most direct way of keeping pubs viable is to cut beer duty.”
