Brakspear Tax Free Beer Day hailed “a huge success”

March 6, 2012

Brakspear has hailed its Tax Free Beer Day, held on 28th February, as a huge success for the 10 Henley pubs taking part in it, for drinkers in the town and more widely for the pub industry’s campaign to bring an end to punitive beer taxation.

On the day, the 10 participating pubs sold Brakspear Bitter, Oxford Gold, Kronenbourg, Foster’s and Heineken at a discount of £1.30 – the amount of tax on a pint sold for £3.10.  Beer sales in these pubs are estimated to have been around twice the amount sold on the same Tuesday in 2011 and some1,000 customers have signed the in-pub petitions calling for a freeze on beer duty and a reduction in VAT for the hospitality sector.

Brakspear chief executive Tom Davies said, “Tax Free Beer Day achieved our objective for it, namely highlighting to our customers in Henley and further afield the amount of tax they pay on beer.  The increase in sales seen by our tenants indicates just how the current levels of taxation are affecting people’s ability to afford a pint in the pub.

“Lower taxation would encourage people back into the pub, protecting more of them from closure and creating jobs to cater for the increase in trade. And, most importantly at this time of high youth unemployment, pubs could generate jobs for  young adults: around half of the pub trade’s employees are 18-24-year-olds.”  A freeze in beer duty would create an estimated 16,000 jobs in pubs and related industries over the next three years.

He added, “If Brakspear can generate this level of interest and support on its own, imagine how much more could be achieved if other brewers and pub companies joined us by running similar campaigns in other parts of the country?  We’d certainly be able to raise the 100,000 signatures needed to force a debate on beer tax in the House of Commons, which would be a great result for pubs and pubgoers.”

The participating pubs were: Little Angel, Angel on the Bridge, Rowbarge, Three Tuns, Old Bell, Rose & Crown, Saracens Head, Beer Tree, Three Horseshoes and The Anchor

Caption to attached image, courtesy of Henley Standard:  tenants from some of the Brakspear’s Henley pubs (l-r) Colin Roberson (Saracens Head; Doug Green (Little Angel); Mark Dunlop (Angel on the Bridge); Sandra Duggan (Three Tuns); Gary & Lisa Ion-Savage (Anchor); Jolyon Miller (Row Barge)  with chief executive Tom Davies (far right)