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1st November 2019

Business Rates reform must be a priority for new Government says BBPA

The British Beer and Pub Association has today welcomed a report on the Impact of Business Rates on Business, published by the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee.

David Wilson, Public Affairs Director at the British Beer & Pub Association, commented:

“The Treasury Select Committee is absolutely right to support our call for reform of business rates. The current system is particularly unfair on pubs who pay 2.8 per cent of the entire business rates bill despite accounting for just 0.5 per cent of business turnover.

“The report also rightly highlights how the current system is a serious disincentive to investment, whereby people who put significant funds into improving their businesses are almost immediately punished with higher business rates.

“Business rates remain an unfair burden on pubs, this is especially acute when they are already being squeezed by other taxes such as unreasonably high beer duty. It is therefore imperative that the new Government treat this issue as a matter of urgency and reform the business rates system to help pubs and the communities they serve.”

ENDS

 

For further information, please contact:

David Wilson, Director of Public Affairs: 020 7627 9151/ 07557 405 815

Nick Lawrie, Digital Communications Manager: 020 7627 9156/ 07824 359 013

Adam Beazley, Communications & Campaigns Officer: 020 7627 9155 / 07507 836 708

Notes to editors:

The British Beer & Pub Association is the leading body representing Britain’s brewers and pub companies. The Association is more than a century old and was originally founded as the Brewers’ Society in 1904. Our members account for some 90 per cent of beer brewed in Britain today, and own around 20,000 of the nation’s pubs.