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Caterer, Licensee & Hotelier
Editor's Viewpoint
June 2017
WELCOME TO the June issue of CLH News! Once again I would take this opportunity to welcome any new readers to our publication, previously explained we are free to trade publication, so if you own a hotel pub or restaurant, then there is no charge! And, we have in recent months extended our readership to reach more independent hospitality businesses. We hope you’ll find us a one-stop publication news, views products and services which we are sure will help you in the day-to-day running of your business. When asked, just one thing when responding to our advertisers would be most grateEDITOR ful if you could kindly mention that you saw the product or service in CLH News, even if you are buying online! It is difficult to put in the words what one feels, following the terrible terrorist attack on people enjoying a night out in London’s popular Borough Market, and those leaving a pop concert in Manchester. They are all cowardly acts, the targeting of defenceless people enjoying a night out is absolutely sickening. Regular readers will remember that we contacted a counterterrorism expert for an article following the terrorist attack in Paris in November 2015. I was in Paris at the time of the attack. I was very near the area where the attacks took place, and it was only upon reflection I realised just how vulnerable we are. Chris Phillips Managing Director of the International Protect and Prepare Security Office (IPPSO) provided us with an up to date article which we have reproduced in this issue. Many of the corporate/multi chain outlets will have procedures in place with managers attending training courses, seminars and receiving advice on how to minimise risk, independent operators don’t have this luxury. So, we would urge readers not only to digest what counterterrorism expert Chris Phillips says, but make sure all your staff are fully conversant, the article does appear on our website (https://goo.gl/PkQx9X) and it would be worth printing it off and distributing it to your staff, may be following up with a question-and-answer session I was intrigued to see report that gin spirit revenues have topped beer for the first time, according to the wine and spirit trade Association sales have surged 12%, which is the fastest growth rate of any spirit drink, earning the Treasury an extra £225 million in revenue. I was amazed to see in article on in this issue that spirit duty is over £3.38 billion. My joy quickly turned to dismay when I saw that the United Kingdom pays more in alcohol duty than Germany, France, Poland, Italy, and Spain combined. The county of Essex, with approximately 5,000,000 people pays more in alcohol duty than Germany, with over 80 million people. An absolutely ludicrous level of duty, I remember report entitled “who’s killing British pubs” which stated that half of the 21,000 pubs that have closed since 1980 have closed since 2006, only. According to the report, cultural change can explain much of the long-term decline in pub-going, however, it could not explain the collapse in recent years, and came to the conclusion that at least 6,000 of the 10,500 pubs that are closed since 2006 were as a direct result of taxation, regulation and falling real wages, and that government is responsible for two, if not three, of these factors and the government could undo the damage with market-led reforms if it wanted to. Drinkers and diners have always been prepared to pay a premium for the experience of eating and drinking out of home but it is not an experience they will buy at any price. After several years of above-inflation rises in alcohol duty, British drinkers now pay 40 per cent of the EU’s entire alcohol tax bill. This, the report concluded combined with VAT rising to 20 per cent, has made eating and drinking in a pub increasingly unaffordable for many. So, this brings me again to urge readers old and new to join the campaign to reduce hospitality VAT. It is on ongoing campaign quite high profile http://www.cuttourismvat.co.uk and has the support of many MPs and industry leaders. I would also draw your attention to an article that appeared in last month’s issue by Kate Nicholls, chief executive of the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers who discussed tax equality day, which takes place on September 20, with bars, restaurants and pubs throughout the UK temporarily lowering their prices to highlight the effect VAT has on the sector. Tax equality day is an annual event which brings in customers tempted by the promise of paying cheaper prices for food and drink. It is a wonderful way for the industry to demonstrate its commitment to bringing change and we would urge you to join it. For further details visit our website www.catererlicensee.com/20296-2/
Peter Adams
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