European Election issues: Supporting the British Pub

CAMRA has written to election candidates asking for support for British pubs.

Here is the Conservative response.


Campaign for Real Ale Campaign (CAMRA)
·       The CAMRA campaign is a valuable contribution to the pub industry in Britain. The UK Government is supporting the pub in a range of ways including, helping communities take on ownership of pubs, cutting tax on beer and reducing red tape.

·       Beer duty cut by one pence a pint to support pubs. This is the second consecutive year that beer duty has been decreased by a penny. A pint of beer is now eight pence cheaper than it would have been under the last Government’s plans. With two thirds of alcohol sold in pubs being beer this is benefitting local pubs as well as beer drinkers.

·       The duty escalator on wine has been scrapped. The escalator for all alcohol duties is being scrapped. A typical bottle of wine is now five pence cheaper than under the previous Government’s plans.

·       Duties on Scotch whiskey and other spirits frozen. To support the Scottish whisky industry the budget is freezing the duty on spirits. A typical bottle of Scotch whisky is now 42 pence cheaper than under the previous Government’s plans.

·       Duties on ordinary cider frozen. To help West Country cider makers hit by the recent weather the duty on most ciders, excluding cheap ‘white ciders’, is being frozen. A typical pint of cider will be three pence cheaper than under the last Government’s plans.

·       Protecting community assets. We introduced the Community Right to Bid through the Localism Act 2011 which enables communities a fair chance to bid to take over local assets of community value, including pubs. Research by CAMRA shows that 300 pubs are now listed as assets of community value.

·       Extending business rate relief. We have extended the doubling of small business rate relief on pubs until April 2015 and announced a £1,000 discount in 2014-15 and 2015-16 for premises with a rateable value of under £50,000. We have also introduced the Employment Allowance which will provide small businesses with up to £2,000 off their National Insurance Contributions, giving pubs an opportunity to create jobs and invest in people.

·       Pubs have also benefited from action the Government has taken to reduce red tape affecting the pub sector. We have provided greater flexibility on weights and measures, allowing beer and wine to be sold in different sizes than was previously allowed by regulations, and have made it easier for pubs to play live music.

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