Licensees back MA call to cut VAT to 5%
Licensees in Brighton and Hove have given strong support to the Morning Advertiser's campign to cut VAT to 5% in the hospitality industry.
Support was unanimous in a poll of Brighton and Hove Licensees Association (B&HLA) members backing the call for the chancellor to reduce VAT to support the industry.
A move to cut VAT would help create jobs at a time when unemployment levels are at a record high, as proven by the French government, which cut VAT in the hospitality sector in 2009.
"As an industry we are more than willing and certainly capable of boosting local economies and help lead the country out of recession and a cut in VAT to 5% will allow us to ensure this happens," said Nick Griffin, spokesman for B&HLA and managing director of Pleisure Pub Company.
"We have seen this work in France already so it's not a gamble, they created nearly 22,000 jobs in the first year alone after a cut in VAT to 5%.
"In Brighton & Hove this is even more acute given our close association with tourism and the hospitality sector and it is only right that we should be supporting such an important campaign and we will also be lobbying our local authority hard to support the call for a lower VAT rate for our sector."
Earlier this week Britain's craft brewers also threw their weight behind the campaign.
The MA's Thrive on Five online petition has already collected more than 230 signatures.
Join the campaign:
