Axe the tax — save the pub

A major campaign to save the Great British pub has been launched at Westminster today.

The campaign, "Axe the Beer Tax — Save the Pub", hopes to mobilise public and political support and follows the Chancellor's decision to lump a further permanent 8% duty hike on beer to off-set the 13-month 2.5% VAT cut.

The campaign was launched at the Westminster Arms by the British Beer and Pub Association and the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) and was attended by actress Jennifer Ellison and Coronation Street barmaid Kym Marsh.

The groups say that beer tax will have risen by a further 40% by 2012 with the duty escalator leading to the closure of at least 7,500 more pubs with the loss of 40,000 jobs.

The groups also published a five-point manifesto to help save the pub:​

• To stop plans to increase beer tax by up to a third.

• To enforce existing laws — not create new ones — to deal firmly with irresponsible drinkers and premises.

• To end the irresponsible promotion of alcohol in supermarkets, pubs and elsewhere.

• To trust responsible adults to make informed choices about what they drink, not punish them for the actions of an irresponsible minority .

• To support the British pub as a vital part of social life in local communities.

"Pubs play a vital role in communities up and down the country and are an essential part of promoting a more responsible drinking culture," said BBPA chief executive Rob Hayward.

"Yet recent changes can only force more and more people out of pubs - and more and more pubs out of business.

"Pubgoers already pay a third of the price of every pint to the taxman. And now beer tax is set to rise by 40% over the next three years. The latest research predicts 43,000 lost jobs will be lost from the beer and pub trade — and that was before this new raid on our customers.

"The Chancellor has rightly decided the whole British economy needs relief from recession — except for one part of it. It is hard to avoid the conclusion that a great British tradition is being abandoned.

"This campaign will provide a voice to those who want to save the great British pub - and we urge everyone to sign up on the campaign's website www.axethebeertax.com to register their support."

Mike Benner, chief executive of Camra, added: "People who like a quiet pint at the local pub are being singled out for some of the biggest tax increases ever imposed.

"Community pubs are at the heart of countless communities across Britain. They are where people meet and socialise, and they promote responsible and sensible drinking.

"Yet with beer sales already falling, the scale of tax rises puts at risk parts of the brewing industry that can never be replaced once lost. At the current rate there will be 7,500 pubs lost by 2012. This latest tax increase must make that an underestimate."

All those concerned about the future of pubs are being urged to sign up to the campaign on its website www.axethebeertax.com​ where they can lobby their MP, sign an on-line petition and organise local campaigning events.