Empty pubs benefit no one, but extending VAT relief benefits both publicans and customers.
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Spirits high as TPA leads the charge to help Britain's pubs
The government's VAT reduction for the hospitality sector is set to end in September. It's great that our pubs, restaurants and hotels are open again but after a year of covid restrictions, the industry has been battered. That’s why we’re calling on the government to extend the 5 per cent VAT reduction until April 2023. ([link removed])
I'm delighted to say that even more momentum is building behind our campaign. Speaking in a House of Lords debate, Lord Smith backed our calls for the VAT rate cut to be extended. We're also gaining huge traction in the hospitality industry as more and more publicans, restaurateurs and hoteliers are spreading the message far and wide.
In fact, one publican has laid out just how important extending the cut will be to his business and the industry. Steve Reynolds who owns The Stagg Inn of Herefordshire has laid out the benefits in a blog piece for the TPA website. ([link removed])
He highlights just how bad covid was for the industry with revenue tumbling by £80.8 billion between April 2020 and March this year. So bad in fact that, "Starved of income, thousands couldn’t afford their rent and have lost businesses they’ve devoted years of their lives to – this is nothing short of heartbreaking."
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Furthermore, a staggering 355,000 jobs have been lost in the sector and Steve is adamant that the current rate cut must be extended, "Keeping the 5 per cent rate for another year would save £13.5 billion ([link removed]) and potentially hundreds of pubs. The government should view this as an investment: pubs are community assets and minimising closures will ensure pubs continue to provide the exchequer with a source of revenue going forward – with no need for further handouts. Empty pubs benefit no one, but extending VAT relief benefits both publicans and our customers." Hear! Hear! I couldn't have put it better myself.
Please sign the petition and demand VAT relief for Britain's pubs. ([link removed])
TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
It's not their money, it's taxpayers' money!
Following on from last weekend's revelations that Zara Sultana MP had spent nearly £800 of taxpayers' cash on a social media toolkit, the TPA was invited onto talkRadio to discuss politicians' expenses. ([link removed])
Speaking to host Kevin O'Sullivan, our digital campaign manager Joe Ventre declared quite rightyl that taxpayers "don't appreciate the idea that they are being taken advantage of".
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MPs do need certain resources to fulfil their duties and serve their constituencies. But the TaxPayers' Alliance is putting them on notice to only claim for essentials. Click here to watch a clip from the interview. ([link removed])
Money for nothing
In Scotland the SNP have proposed plans to introduce a Universal Basic Income (UBI) which would see everyone receive a minimum income of £19,200. Every adult would receive the sum regardless of their personal wealth. Whilst the welfare system needs urgent reform, UBI is not the silver bullet it is lauded as.
Speaking to the Scottish Daily Mail, our chief executive John O'Connell laid out why UBI is so bad, "Pillaging the public purse to pay for this scheme would punish hard-working taxpayers with an unaffordable bill. It’s just about the worst time for a bumper universal dole payment."
Councils face huge deficit
New figures from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government revealed that councils in England are facing a combined deficit of £509 million ([link removed]) owing to a shortfall in council tax take. Liverpool City Council has the highest deficit at over £17 million.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, I explained why this will likely mean more council tax rises next year, "Despite inflicting another year of inflation-busting tax hikes on residents, it seems councils are still struggling to balance the books. Many local authorities plead poverty but fail to address wanton waste and gross inefficiencies."
The TPA will continue to urge town hall bosses to get their act together and ensure the maximum possible value for every pound of taxpayers' hard-earned cash.
Axe the Tax campaign receives 'red wall' backing
Our campaign to scrap the BBC licence fee continues to go from strength-to-strength. In the wake of the recent scandal surrounding Martin Bashir, Lee Anderson MP discussed the corporation's future on talkRadio with presenter Mike Graham.
The member of parliament for Ashfield threw his weight behind our campaign calling for non-payment of the TV tax to be decriminalised. If you haven't done so already you can join our growing army of Axe the Tax supporters here ([link removed]) . Please encourage your friends and family to signup as well.
Watch or listen to our recent episode of TPA Talks with Lee Anderson ([link removed])
Watch again - Town halls: How do we pay for them and what needs to change
A big thank you to supporters who joined us on Thursday night for an insightful discussion into what needs to change in local authorities and with council tax itself. My thanks as well to the panellists who expertly addressed everything from regional discrepancies in council tax to the seemingly endless waste in our town halls.
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Journalist and former councillor Harry Phibbs was absolutely adamant that if councils got their finances in order then bills wouldn't need to rise every year. But don't worry if you weren't able to join us on the night, we recorded the event in full which can be viewed here. ([link removed])
If you're fed of council tax rises, please sign our petition. ([link removed])
Blog of the week
How do we pay off our covid debt?
On Tuesday, figures released by the Office for National Statistics's (ONS) on public sector finances revealed the financial impact a year of coronavirus restrictions had on the economy and subsequently public sector borrowing. As TPA researcher Scott Simmonds explains, it may not be as bad as expected,but the figures still make grim reading for taxpayers. ([link removed])
Although government borrowing is estimated to be £27.1 billion less than the Office for Budget Responsibility officially forecast, providing the chancellor much needed fiscal breathing space, the public sector still borrowed over £300 billion to combat covid.
In the long term, the government needs to start paying down this debt, and not just reduce borrowing while still adding to it. The interest payment to service this debt was £5.2 billion in April 2021 alone. This was more than the government took in stamp duty and corporation tax combined in the same month, showing that all borrowing has a price. It’s a price taxpayers can’t go on paying forever. Click here to read the full story. ([link removed])
War on Waste
The TPA recently visited Winchester to meet with supporters. While we were in the area we popped into the local university where management had thought it fit to spend almost £30,000 of taxpayers' cash on a statue of climate activist Greta Thunberg. ([link removed])
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That's the cost of a three-year university course. Universities are funded by both taxpayers and students directly - ultimately they will end up shouldering the burden for this statue.
In this era where public spending matters more than ever, universities must focus resources on providing a high quality of education rather than virtue-signalling to the world. Click here to watch our report from Winchester. ([link removed])
Harry Fone
Grassroots Campaign Manager
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