MPs want beer tax eased for pubs

Chloe Smith is the one who was so good on Newsnight......

Glad to see they are getting the priorities right at last.. Pub's are closing at an alarming rate, until now, none of the MP's seemed to care about that. They are more than just a place to get drunk in..To some, particularly the lonely aged, they are a place to find someone human to talk to. While on holiday recently, I called in a pub, the George and Dragon, in Beaumaris, Wales, there was an old chap in there alone, he was so frail, and many of the customers, even strangers, stopped to chat with him and offer to buy him a pint. He declined after a couple of pints, Wonderful to witness human kindness. Something the government lacks when it comes to the aged..

This coming from the very people that pushed the price to what it is today is a bit galling. Especially when they can get a pint/drink at duty free prices in the bars at the houses of parliament. Smacks of double standards. A lovely little perk that we could all do with now and again.

It's not the tax on the beer that keeps people out of pubs ...it is the lack of atmosphere and the 'management' and 'staff' who haven't got a clue. Gone are the days when you had proper landlords and regular bar staff, gone are the days when the pub was a community place. The big Breweries saw to that when they sold off all the pubs to 'companies' that did not have any interest in the 'peoples pub' and were just in it to make a bob or two. Pubs need character and experience...and it is not achieved by putting a "two week course" manager of 21yrs old in charge of a pub. It is too late to save the old establishment of the British Pubs ...the original publicans are gone.

They should put up the tax on supermarkets garages ext considerably and take it off pubs
they buy cases in supermarkets ext and give it 2 youngsters .

Tax is too high but MPs should be more concerned with the price of soft drinks in pubs. How can pubs charge more for a pint of a soft drink than for a pint of beer?

On the one hand MPs want to discourage binge drinking but then allow pubs to encourage consumption of alcohol in preference to more expensive soft drinks.

The situation is a disgrace.

QUOTE:
But Treasury Minister Chloe Smith said the Government had to cut the budget deficit.
She said she wanted to reverse the trend against "free-loading", where people drink cheaper alcohol at home before going out.
UNQUOTE

So what's she and the Government going to do to reverse the trend against "free-loading", if they ain't going to reduce the cost of tax on drinks down at the pub? Does she actually think increasing the inflation tax plus 2%, will actually increase the number of people going down to the pub for a quiet drink?

Simple solution to many of the problems associated with the drinks trade, stop super marketsand corner shops selling alcohol. Garages sell petrol, book shops books, pubs, clubs and restaurants sell alcohol, super markets groceries..................politicians deceit .

Smoking Ban finished the pubs off so when all the non smokers wanted the ban it just goes to show you how many of them used a pub, bring back smoking in pubs and the pub will survive. Close the night clubs and put opening hours back to how they used to be and then maybe we would have the type of pubs that we used to have a social gathering time instated of a massive punch up as it is now with these night clubs open all hours.

What tosh from Miss Smith.

The Tories are sleeping walking to General Election disaster under this arrogant out of touch Government..