The JD Wetherspoon founder said equality should sit at the centre of industry lobbying, describing it as both economically compelling and psychologically stronger than appeals for relief.
‘Businesses should be treated equally’
“My view is that the licensed trade should focus its campaigns on tax equality with supermarkets,” he told The Morning Advertiser (The MA).
“Equality is a compelling argument, since it is a key principle of taxation that businesses should be treated equally.”
His comments follow figures showing Wetherspoon paid £837.1m in tax in 2024 to 2025, equivalent to more than £1m per pub across its 794 site estate.
Martin said this demonstrated that pubs are net contributors to the public finances rather than recipients of state support.
“The trade should push for zero VAT on food sales, matching supermarkets and the same business rates per pint.
“Instead, the trade has too often asked for government ‘support’, or other comparatively weak requests, which is bad psychology as Wetherspoon numbers show (£1m tax per pub).
“Pubs support government, not vice versa.”
‘The writing’s on the wall’
Martin also pointed to the structural shift in beer sales over the past two decades, warning that supermarkets have steadily captured market share at the expense of pubs.
UK pubs won’t retain their historic role in British social life without equality. Supermarkets have taken 50% of pub beer sales since the millennium. The writing is on the wall.
Tim Martin
Martin has consistently argued that the 20% VAT rate on pub food compared with zero rated supermarket food places the sector at a fundamental disadvantage, alongside significantly higher business rates per pint.
Martin said that without a unified push for equality, pubs would continue to lose ground despite their economic and social contribution to towns and cities across the UK.
