Healey gives hope on new machine tax

The new pubs minister John Healey said he would examine "very hard" the plans for a new tax on quiz machines in a meeting with a trade chief and a multiple operator.

However, he also defended duty hikes when he met British Beer & Pub Association northern secretary Lee Le Clercq and Chris Winterbourne at the operator's Queen's Hotel pub in Rawmarsh, South Yorkshire.

Le Clercq said: "Numerous issues were covered during the 45 minute meeting including the legacy of the smoking ban, the hike in business rates, supermarket prices, high duty rates, red tape and over-regulation as well as the pressures on some licensees from lease and tenancy agreements."

Le Clercq said Healey told him the Government was "looking again, very hard" at the recent plan by HMRC to reclassify skills with prizes machines (SWPs) as gaming machines. This would make them liable for gaming machine tax, at an estimated cost of £2,500 per pub.

"Regrettably, he defended recent excise duty hikes as a necessary measure to fund other government spending. With the public sector deficit not looking to improve any time soon, we might be in for more of the same.

"John Healey was definitely in listening mode and there was no suggestion as to what we might expect from the new pubs minister in the comparatively short time between now and the general election."

Winterbourne said he raised concerns about rent levels and drinks prices charged by pubcos.

But he said his landlords Punch and Enterprise "are helping me out at this time" with promises of extra discounts.

"We went through every aspect of what affecting the pub trade.

"I hope I gave him a good overview of what's wrong, and not just with pub companies but also from the Government side.

"There's no quick fix. There are a lot of major topics to be covered."

Healey actually visited one of his pubs for a folk festival a couple of weeks ago.

"He gave me his card and said, 'keep in touch'," said Winterbourne.

"You can't ask any more than that; so long as it's not just him flapping his lips."

Winterbourne plans a further meeting with the minister at a later date. "We will leave it a couple of months and see what happens," he added.