'Rents and beer tie to blame for pub closures — not duty'

Blaming duty increases for the closure of pubs is just a smokescreen, the anti-beer tie campaign group Fair Pint has warned.

The group, who want the beer tie broken, believe that pubs are going out of business primarily because of high rents and the high purchase price of beer through the tie.

Fair Pint's view received a boost from ministers at yesterday's pub crisis summit (Ministers: trade must look at beer tie​).

Licensing minister told the trade: "There are measures that Government can take, certainly, but there is action the industry can take. The issue around the tie needs to be looked at."

Brian Jacobs, a member of the Fair Pint Campaign, said: "It is clear that the high price that pubcos are charging tenants for beer combined with the unsustainable levels of rent are the major causes of the problems faced by the pub sector in the UK.

"Although all publicans would prefer to pay less tax, it is clear that the cost of beer from the pubcos which is typically 50-60p a pint higher than alternative suppliers is a more significant reason for pub closures than the 3p per pint increase in duty in the next financial year."

He added: "The British Beer and Pub Association are the representatives of the brewers and the pubcos and do not represent those who run pubs. It is unsurprising that they have chosen to focus on duty levels as a way to avoid attention on their members' business models."