Member

Of course, we need to sort out genuinely lower business rate bills for hospitality venues, which is what the Chancellor promised she was doing and the Business Secretary apparently thought they were doing, despite the Treasury publishing all the data on the day of the Budget that made it clear that the median rateable value of pubs was going up by a full third, which more than offset the reduction in the business rates multiplier. The Government certainly need to address that, but they can make a start tonight by dropping the plans to increase alcohol duty and, in particular, to increase that duty on draught beer in our high street and community pubs.