Brakspear pubs to stage Tax-Free Beer Day in Henley
February 16, 2012
Ten Brakspear pubs in Henley are to stage a Tax-Free Beer Day on Tuesday 28th February, as a way of highlighting the punitive taxation on beer in the run up to next month’s Budget and encouraging the town’s drinkers to sign a petition calling for a more pub-friendly tax regime.
From opening to last orders, all the pubs will be selling pints of Brakspear Bitter, Kronenbourg and Fosters at £1.30 off their normal selling price – usually around £3.20 – £3.30 for a pint of Brakspear. Beer duty, VAT and other taxes together add around £1.30 to a pint of beer, turning what should be one of life’s affordable pleasures into an irregular treat for many people and contributing to pub closures.
Brakspear, with other pub operators and brewers across the country, has been lobbying the Chancellor for more sympathetic treatment in the 2012 Budget. Lower taxation would help to rebalance the difference between pub and supermarket beer prices, encourage people back into their local and save an estimated 16,000 jobs over the next few years.
Tom Davies, Brakspear chief executive, said, “The great British pub has been hammered by beer duty and VAT increases, while the recession has forced people to cut down on leisure spending. It’s no surprise that pubs are struggling, and we applaud the Henley Standard’s ‘Drink Local’ campaign to help keep pubs open.”
“Not only are pub closures bad for the economy, they’re also bad for society: pubs are the home of responsible, supervised drinking where beer, a low alcohol drink, is enjoyed as part of a social interaction. This is far preferable to the uncontrolled consumption on park benches, frequently accompanied by antisocial behaviour, of higher alcohol drinks purchased from supermarkets.
“Taxes now make up a staggering 40% of the price of a pint of beer in the pub. Our Tax-Free Beer Day is designed to demonstrate to Henley’s residents that the price of a pint in the pub is not dictated solely by the publican or by Brakspear. We hope it encourages more people to enjoy a pint or two in their Brakspear ‘local’ and inspires them to sign our petition to help protect these pubs.
Mark Dunlop, tenant at The Angel on the Bridge, said, “This is a great way of highlighting the tax burden that pubs have to bear. We’d love to sell Brakspear at this price every day – it would make us much more competitive with the supermarkets and we’d sell more beer. We’ll certainly be encouraging our customers to sign the petition.”
The participating pubs are: Little Angel, Angel on the Bridge, Rowbarge, Three Tuns, Old Bell, Rose & Crown, Saracens Head, Beer Tree, Three Horseshoes and The Anchor
BEER TAX – THE FACTS
Since 2004, beer duty rates have increased by over 50% – but the revenue to the Government from beer duty has increased by only 10%
Beer consumption has fallen by 23% over the same period
Britain levies 40 per cent of the entire EU beer duty bill, and over five times more beer tax in total, than the biggest beer market, Germany
A more favourable tax regime would save an estimated 16,000 jobs in pubs, brewing and related industries between now and 2015
Notes to editors
Figures quoted in this release are based on CAMRA’s ‘Briefing on Beer Tax 2012’, which calculates tax as contributing £1.30 to the cost of a pint of beer priced at £3.10, made up of:
Excise duty: 48p
VAT: 52p
Employment tax: 18p
Business rates: 12p
Brakspear pubs in Henley are encouraging customers to sign a petition to the Government. This “declares that the British pub is a vital part of local communities and their business must be supported. The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons halt plans to increase beer tax in the on trade. The petitioners further request that the House of Commons cut VAT to 5% in the hospitality sector to support jobs and local businesses.”
Caption to image, right: Tom Davies, Brakspear chief executive, with £1.80 – the price of a pint of Brakspear on Tax Free Beer Day