Pub property agents call for 'bold decisions' in Budget
Tom Nichols, managing director of Everard Cole, wants to see a cut in corporation tax for small to medium-sized businesses, a freeze on beer duty and moves to address the price of supermarket alcohol.
“I think there will need to be some bold decisions made to get the economy growing,” he said.
“A reduction in national insurance might spark better employment numbers.”
Paul Davey, the managing director of DDC Davey Co, added: “[I would like to see] further efforts to ensure that the banks start lending money on sensible commercial terms.”
He is also looking for no increase in beer duty, and “at best a reduction, at worse a freeze, on employers’ national insurance contributions”.
Paul Breen, senior director at CBRE, said: “I would like the Government to reduce the beer duty. It’s just scary how much it is.
“They have to do something about it. It is all well and good to protect pubs [under planning policies], but they have to bring the duty down or pubs will struggle to survive.
“I would like to see the Government do something about supermarkets as well because that is also killing the pub trade.”
Stephen Taylor, managing director of Guy Simmonds, explained that he would like to see a 20% reduction in beer duty. “This would have the effect of stimulating our industry, and protecting and creating new jobs,” he said.
He is also looking for further cuts in red tape and bureaucracy and a reduction in business rates “to an affordable level commensurate with profitability”.
Taylor added: “Obviously, what I would like to see, and what we need for the industry, will be completely different from what we are given.”
Fleurets director and head of pubs Simon Hall said he would also like to see a VAT reduction and the end of the beer duty escalator but he is "not holding my breath".
Neil Morgan of Christie+Co added: "In an ideal world, I would like to see the Government scrap the beer duty escalator, and change the VAT structure for off-sales and on-sales, where the off trade pays more."
