Brakspear has pledged to give funding to the VAT Club for the further year.
It follows news earlier this month that the Independent Family Brewers of Britain (IFBB) will not renew its group funding for the VAT Club when its three-year agreement expires at the end of June – though half of its members will continue to donate independently. Brakspear has supported the VAT Club, which is led by Jacques Borel, since 2011.
Brakspear chief executive Tom Davies said, “We joined the VAT Club in 2011 because we saw how the high level of VAT was damaging our pubs. Nothing has fundamentally changed in the last three years - for many customers, the additional 20% on pub food means they are instead choosing to eat supermarket-bought food at home.
“The disparity makes it hard for pubs to attract the regular food trade which so many of them need as alcohol consumption continues to decline. With a VAT rate at 5% rather than 20%, we would see more ‘can’t be bothered to cook’ customers eating in the pub more frequently.
“Just as importantly, this additional trade would create an estimated minimum of 290,000 jobs in our industry, many of them for the young adults whose employment prospects are causing such public concern.
“We are therefore delighted to be pledging our continued support for the VAT Club and will be encouraging our tenants and lessees to again support the Tax Equality Day in September.”
