New UK PM to cut taxes for struggling pubs: ‘drop in the ocean’
Ministers did not say how the cut, which is expected to cost government finances around £100 million a year, would be funded
The UK government on Thursday announced a tax cut for struggling pubs, clubs and live music venues as new Prime Minister Andy Burnham aims to ease the cost of living crisis.
The 20 per cent cut to business rates – a local tax paid by firms – is the third policy announcement since Burnham became prime minister on Monday, including a planned cap on most bus fares in England and the removal of value added tax on household electricity bills.
The latest tax cut is expected to save some 32,000 hospitality businesses around £1,100 (US$1,400) a year, but ministers struggled to say how it would be funded.
It is estimated that the cut will cost government finances around £100 million a year.
Burnham is under pressure to show he can deliver the revitalised economy Labour promised when it won power in July 2024 after 14 years in opposition.
Ian Hoskins, owner of the Ma Pub Group in northwestern Liverpool, broadly welcomed the announcement but told Sky News it remained a “drop in the ocean”.