After a submission from the Welsh Beer and Pub Association to the Welsh Government’s consultation on Wales’s current Business Rates system, Emma McClarkin, Chief Executive of the Welsh Beer and Pub Association said:
“We wholeheartedly welcome the proposed reforms to the business rates system in Wales as they provide the opportunity and flexibility for the Welsh system to provide more accurate Business Rates and allow the Welsh Government to provide targeted support for industry through sector-specific relief.”
“Pubs across Wales would benefit hugely from a sector-specific Business Rate Multiplier that would allow pubs to flourish and prosper at the heart of their communities. This targeted investment from the Welsh Government is all the more necessary as pubs in Wales remain around £6000 a year worse off than their English counterparts due hospitality business rate relief being at around half the rate in Wales as it is in England.
“Economies and communities across Wales will grow with the right support for pubs, and a sector specific business rate multiplier, as well as hospitality rate relief on par with pubs in England, are a significant part of that support. If the Government invests in its communities through this support, it will create prosperity, jobs and social value across Wales.”
ENDS
For more information or to arrange an interview contact press@beerandpub.com / 020 7627 9199
Notes to editors:
- This quote is in response to the Welsh Government’s Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill Consultation which you can find more information about here.
- At present public houses are valued using a specific method not common to other commercial premises, as set out in the VOA’s Approved Guide developed in partnership with the industry. The specific methodology used is due to the fact that pubs do not tend to be let on a purely commercial basis, often with more complex, complementary partnerships between landlord and tenant (e.g. supply agreements, support from the landlord and other arrangements) and factors such as geographical location and type of operation are taken into account. The current system is based on an outlet’s ‘Fair Maintainable Turnover’ (FMT), the level of revenue that a reasonably efficient operator would be able to generate in the premises.
Because of this unique valuation method, it is important to consider how changes to the business rates system which may seem positive or not disruptive could have unintended impacts on businesses valued this way, particularly the duty to notify. Given the recently announced measures in the Welsh budget, pubs in Wales contribute £35.4m in business rates. The average pub in Wales is £6,000 worse off than their English counterpart due to lower relief and lack of a small business multiplier.
About the Welsh Beer and Pub Association
The Welsh Beer and Pub Association is the voice of brewers and pubs in Wales. Our members, as part of the wider British Beer and Pub Association, brew 90% of the beer produced in Britain and look after 20,000 of our country’s much-loved pubs. They range from family brewers and regional pub companies to international breweries and Wales’s largest pub estates.
It’s a diverse group, but they all have one thing in common; passion for beautifully crafted beer and warm and welcoming pubs.
For more information or to arrange an interview contact press@beerandpub.com / 020 7627 9199
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