Vat - Hospitality

OPINION

Sector’s hopes snuffed out as Chancellor fails to understand pub reality

06-Mar-2024 By Ed Bedington

It was a faint hope, but still cruelly dashed as the chancellor stood at the dispatch box and showed his fundamental lack of understanding of the pub sector.

'I'm flabbergasted at interest rates'

02-Feb-2024 By Ed Bedington

The MA's Ed Bedington caught up with Camerons boss Chris Soley to get his take on the week's news, from government debate to interest rates and pub closures.

Review of the Week

'If there was a genuine cut in duty, that would be a reduction in the cost of running pubs'

26-Jan-2024 By Ed Bedington

The MA's Ed Bedington caught up with Titanic Brewery boss Keith Bott to get his take on the week's news, from Government infighting to duty cuts.

Review of the Week

'We need to go to war on VAT'

05-Jan-2024 By Ed Bedington

The MA's Ed Bedington met up with Oakman Group's Peter Borg-Neal to get his take on the week's news, from a knighthood for Sir Tim through to closures and Christmas trade.

Review of the Week

Top chef and pub and bistro operator Gary Usher calls for more passion from lobbyists, greater support for independent businesses, a reduction in VAT and talks about the challenges around recruitment in the MA's Review of the Week.

Big Interview

Government needs to do more: Kerridge

14-Aug-2023 By Ed Bedington

“There’s a huge amount the Government could and should be doing,” according to leading chef and pub operator Tom Kerridge, with a key issue being a reduction in VAT.

SPRING BUDGET 2023

Sadly, it's not a joke Mr Hunt

15-Mar-2023 By Ed Bedington

“British ale is warm, but the duty on a pint is frozen” were the words uttered by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt and the flippancy of his remark sums up the level of care this Government appears to have for the hospitality sector.

VAT reduction 'number one thing' Gov could do

07-Dec-2022 By Rebecca Weller

The “number one thing” the Government could do to support the hospitality sector is reduce the rate of VAT to 10%, according to Bath Pub Company managing director Joe Cussens.

Autumn Statement

Crumbs of comfort as VAT pleas ignored

17-Nov-2022 By Ed Bedington

Well, we knew it was going to be grim, and any suggestion of support was going to be highly unlikely, but those who were hoping for VAT reform will have been left dismayed by the Chancellor's Autumn Statement.

Protesters target parliament in third demonstration

15-Nov-2022 By Ed Bedington

Hospitality operators from across the UK gathered in Parliament Square this week, in a bid to raise awareness of the sector’s challenges with the Government.

The Lock In Podcast

Will pubs get the support they need?

10-Oct-2022 By Ed Bedington

The podcast team returns for season three of the award-winning (James's mum gave us a rosette) Lock In podcast and we get to grips with the challenges facing the sector.

Chancellor Kwarteng ‘mini Budget’ expected today

23-Sep-2022 By Nikkie Thatcher

Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng is due to set out the details of his fiscal statement later today (Friday 23 September).

UKH warns energy crisis will 'scar' high streets

31-Aug-2022 By Rebecca Weller

UKHospitality (UKH) has called on the Government to support SMEs to avoid “persistent scarring” of UK high streets.

'We are part of the community, and that's what we're at risk of losing'

19-Aug-2022 By Ed Bedington

The Morning Advertiser's Ed Bedington catches up with Isle of Wight operator Gav Young to discuss some of the key issues of the week from tax rebalancing, to price hikes and soaring energy costs.

The MA's Review of the Week

'Tax relief can help hospitality businesses to reinvest'

01-Jul-2022 By Ed Bedington

Owner of the Veeno wine bar business, Rodrigue Trouillet shared his thoughts on the weeks news with the MA's Ed Bedington, from tax relief to the ongoing recruitment challenges.

UKH and BBPA call for online sales tax

20-May-2022 By Rebecca Weller

UKHospitality (UKH) and the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) have shown support for the Government’s proposed online sales tax but warned the sector must be given due consideration to level the playing field and avoid double-taxation.

Are we victims of our own tenacity?

20-May-2022 By Ed Bedington

The pub sector has always been something of a survivor, adapting and rolling with the punches thrown at it, but are we now finding ourselves the victims of our own tenacity?

UK diesel price cost surge likely to be passed onto pubs

17-May-2022 By Rebecca Weller

UK diesel prices have risen to a record high of more than £1.80 a litre as efforts to move away from importing Russian diesel led to a tightening of supply, according to the RAC.

Hospitality sector entering 'catastrophic period'

01-Apr-2022 By Rebecca Weller

Pubs have had no breathing time following the pandemic as rising costs pose multiple challenges for operators who have survived by “the skin of their teeth” with the potential for a "catastrophic" and "very tough" year ahead, according...

20% VAT hike comes into force

01-Apr-2022 By Nikkie Thatcher

The return of a 20% VAT rate on food, accommodation and soft drinks is implemented from today (Friday 1 April).

Survival of the fittest as Government cuts support

25-Mar-2022 By Ed Bedington

Disappointment was the word from the sector as the chancellor sat back down from the podium, and if he was expecting a thundering applause, he was astonishingly mistaken.

Spring Statement a 'bitter blow' for sector

24-Mar-2022 By Rebecca Weller

Rishi Sunak’s Spring Statement yesterday (Wednesday 23 March) a “bitter blow” for the sector as operators express disappointment with the Chancellor as he could have done more to ensure sustainability in the industry.

Spring Statement March 2022

Sunak silent on VAT in Spring Statement

23-Mar-2022 By Amelie Maurice-Jones

The Chancellor made no reference to keeping the VAT rate at 12.5% permanently in the Spring Statement on Wednesday 23 March, meaning the rate will rise to 20% in April.

Almost 40% of operators cut trading hours to combat rising costs

22-Mar-2022 By Rebecca Weller

Almost two fifths of operators have been forced to cut trading hours to combat cost increases across the board, according to a poll conducted by trade organisations UKHospitality, the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII), the British Beer and Pub Association...

Keeping VAT at 12.5% vital for sectors 'return to financial strength'

17-Mar-2022 By Rebecca Weller

An inquiry held by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Hospitality and Tourism has called for VAT to remain at 12.5% beyond March.

More than three quarters of consumers support keeping 12.5% VAT

10-Mar-2022 By Nikkie Thatcher

Some 79% of consumers do not believe VAT should return to 20% in April, according to new research.

Hospitality only industry in a position to deliver post-pandemic growth

10-Mar-2022 By Rebecca Weller

Hospitality is the only industry in a position to deliver post-pandemic jobs, growth, and investment at speed, according to UKHospitality (UKH).

No time to sit on our hands

01-Mar-2022 By Ed Bedington

And so, with screaming tyres and a whiff of burning (or is that hypocrisy), the Government has yanked on the handbrake and skidded us 180 degrees out of the pandemic.

Lower VAT remains operators' top ask for Spring Statement

28-Feb-2022 By Nikkie Thatcher

Keeping the 12.5% VAT rate on food, soft drinks and accommodation is the most preferred ask from operators to the Government ahead of the Chancellor's Spring Statement next month (March), a flash survey has shown.

Poll: what do you want from the Spring Budget?

22-Feb-2022 By Nikkie Thatcher

With the upcoming Spring Budget approaching, we want to know what you want from the Government.

UKH calls for five key support measures to aid living with Covid

21-Feb-2022 By Rebecca Weller

UKHospitality (UKH) has urged the Government to consider how public messaging directly impacts consumer confidence in the future as part of the trade bodies five key support measurements as the UK learns to live with Covid.

Sector 'brought to its knees' by £115bn in losses

18-Feb-2022 By Rebecca Weller

The hospitality industry has lost almost £115bn in the two years since the start of the Covid pandemic.

Majority of consumers disagree with Gov level of pub support

11-Feb-2022 By Rebecca Weller

More than half (60%) of consumers disapproved of the level of Government support given to pubs over the course of the pandemic, a new report from The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Pubs (Pubs APPG) has found.

Hundreds of sector bosses call on Sunak to hold 12.5% VAT

08-Feb-2022 By Amelie Maurice-Jones

More than 250 hospitality business leaders, including pioneering voices in the pub sector, have written to the Chancellor urging the Government to keep VAT at 12.5% beyond March 2022.

The MA's Review of the Week

"The only way we'll affect change on business rates is if we don't pay it"

04-Feb-2022 By Ed Bedington

The MA's Ed Bedington speaks to Frisco pubs Heath Ball to get his take on the week's news, from the rising costs of running a pub to the challenges facing the sector on taxation.

opinion

'Pubs are now the sickly child of the high street'

01-Nov-2021 By Gav Young, the Plough and Barleycorn, Isle of Wight

So the red tops are awash with pictures of Boris and Rishi holding pints aloft as they declare not only a duty freeze but a 3p reduction, of course there is much small print including the cut not coming into force until 2023 or, indeed, on kegs under...