Thank you for contacting me about beer duty.
I am a great supporter of real ale and real pubs, and have been all my life. Indeed, I would like to think there a number of pubs in Broxtowe that I have helped, including the Foresters in Newthorpe (which we saved from closure), my recent campaign to save the New White Bull in Giltbrook and my support for great pubs like the Crown Inn in Beeston and the Horse and Jockey in Stapleford. I am also a keen supporter of excellent local breweries like Blue Monkey in Giltbrook.
Pubs are, with few exceptions, great community assets and local authorities should be involved in making sure they are not simply sold off and turned into supermarkets.
In Government, we have demonstrated our continued commitment to community pubs through the introduction of a broad range of financial and wider support including:
- scrapping the beer and alcohol duty escalators
- cutting beer duty
- funding business partners to help deliver more community-owned pubs and pubs which provide community-focussed services
- removing red tape that hindered pubs holding live music
- doubling small business rate relief, and increasing the temporary business rate discount for pubs with rateable values below £50,000 from £1,000 to £1,500 for 2015 to 2016
- cutting corporation tax and National Insurance for employers
- giving pubs greater flexibility over weights and measures, allowing beer and wine to be served in different sizes
- giving publicans tied to pub companies new rights under a new statutory code of practice
I am confident the Government will continue to do what it can to help British businesses, whether it be pubs, distilleries, cider mills or breweries.
I hope you will be assured of my support for pubs, both locally and nationally. Thank you again for contacting me.