Re: Beer tax up 42% since 2008
 

or google...or vodafone and a whole load of other huge conglomerates that seem to get away with legal tax evasion.
It is time the loopholes were closed and these people were made to cough up.

Re: Beer tax up 42% since 2008
 

No chance of that, Margaret!


Conservatives criticised over tax haven loans - Telegraph

Re: Beer tax up 42% since 2008
 

No, Steve.....I know, and as a result the rest of us take a bigger hit in the pocket.

The companies threaten to take their businesses elsewhere.......I would let them.
I'm sure the UK market is as lucrative as anywhere else.

Still, I guess it is not much different to the MP's trying to find the loopholes to line their pockets.

Re: Beer tax up 42% since 2008
 

I feel I must wade in and leap to the defence of the government here. The decline of the pub trade (whilst not being helped by the smoking ban) has been accelerated by the greedy pub companies.

Benipete used to post about this sort of stuff but whilst ALL governments of ALL colours have raised duty by 1 or 2 pence every budget the price of a pint then goes up by 10 or 20p as a result and they blame the government.

Bonds of a few thousand pounds are secured from new landlords, all eager to make a go of it and then they find that the rent and overheads are crippling them to the point where in six months they lose their bond and a new eager (equally doomed) landlord takes over.

Two pubs that I have worked at grew steadily in custom over a number of years, both tied to the pub companies so they could only buy their drinks from the supplier, ergo the more they sold the more money was shovelled at the pub company. Add to that the fact that the barrels of ale were sold at twice the price that a free house would pay from the brewery and the pub companies are onto a pretty good deal.

However, this is never enough so they screw the landlords even harder. One pub saw their rent jump up to £1,500 per week which is a lot of beer and crisps before you even start to think about overheads, salaries and profits.

The pub companies are the problem, not the government. Look at free houses if you want to see this in action.

I cite the wonderful Victoria in Great Harwood as an example.

Re: Beer tax up 42% since 2008
 

Whilst the pub companies are ripping off the suckers, a simple fact is both parties have allowed them too.

Re: Beer tax up 42% since 2008
 

While I take on board what you say Ken, the rate of tax must also have some impact on the price of beer.

If we want the pub trade to continue then there has to be some action to improve the viability for landlords...whether that be a reduction in the rate of tax(very unlikely) or a relaxation in the rules about smoking in public houses(equally unlikely)...and the government really aren't interested in whether the breweries screw the publican...but maybe they will be when pubs cease to exist.

Re: Beer tax up 42% since 2008
 

raising prices of booze in supermarkets has been suggested and wont solve anything except raise more money for government to squander.Labour killed the pub industry period.Its no coincidence that since they agreed to the smoking ban and implimented it in Scotland and Ireland their pubs started shutting at an alarming rate then our pubs in England when implimented here.Pubs have survived recessions,depressions and greedy brewaries for many years it was labours spinless act of bowing down to the EU that killed the pub industry and many ex smokers and non smokers agree.

I also have worked in quite a lot of pubs and was working in one when the smoking ban came into effect and after a few weeks of having to stand out in the cold and rain regulars started dissapearing fast.Nothing to do with how much beer costs a regular drinker will find the extra 10p or 20p for a pint its the destruction of our way of doing things that is to blame.

i blame labour for this because they brought the changes about but have no doubt the torys would have done the same and bowed down to the EU if they had been in power.Almost the whole lot of them are spinless gutless hypocryts who say one thing then do another even the ones closest to home who are supposed to be people of the people.

funny isnt it that the pubs that are surviving are the ones with the best smoking facilities.

Re: Beer tax up 42% since 2008
 

I am a lifelong non smoker and I have to agree that the Smoking Ban has kiulled the pubs. If Pubs were allowed to have a smokers room were they can only light up in there, I'm sure the pubs would have a revival.

Re: Beer tax up 42% since 2008
 

im actually an ex smoker for almost a year now but have no issues with people lighting up in the pub after hours.Not saying which pub but plenty do it and people dont care

Re: Beer tax up 42% since 2008
 

the tories really put it to vodaphone i think it was.What they did was take the head of vodaphone or whoever it was for a very expensive meal at our expense and begged them to pay tax that they owe which if i recall is quite a few million £

average joe finding themsleves owing tax at the tax mans error can face imprisonment if they cant pay

Re: Beer tax up 42% since 2008
 

And Apple......how much money do they make?...yet they have paid only 2% tax.
it is time that the HMRC went after these people, instead of the little people who owe them peanuts in comparison.

Someone I know has just received a letter from the taxman demanding £300 within 7 days....it isn't the error of the person who got the letter, but the taxman...who got his sums wrong...but to no avail, cough up in 7 days or we send the bailiffs in.(or words to that effect)

Re: Beer tax up 42% since 2008
 

Yeh know someone who got a letter demanding 7K last december:eek: n that was the simple fact the taxman had sent the wrong code to a private pension company n said it is the duty of the person to notify em if yer code number is wrong.:eek: our M.P. was a big help wi that un, but was still 2K to pay at the end of it.:mad:

Re: Beer tax up 42% since 2008
 

dont get me started on apple the top dollar for bottom dollar goods cretins lol

as for teh tax man he is never at fault and when he is you will find that it is actually your fault

as my grandad used to say about the tories the rich get richer and the poor get poorer but these days no matter who is in power theres one set of rules for the rich and one set for the poor