Wetherspoon pubs in Wakefield, Pontefract and Castleford to cut price of food and drink by 7.5% - but only for one day
Wetherspoons pubs will cut the price of all food and drink by 7.5 per cent later this week to highlight the benefit of a permanent VAT reduction in the hospitality industry.
Prices at The Six Chimneys in Kirkgate, Wakefield, The Glass Blower on Bank Street and The Winter Seam in Castleford, as well as the The Broken Bridge on Horsefair, Pontefract and The Blue Bell at Cross Hill, Hemsworth, will be reduced for one day only to mark Tax Equality Day – Thursday, September 18.
So, for example, a customer spending £10 on food and drink will pay £9.25 on Tax Equality Day.
All food and drink in pubs is subject to 20 per cent VAT.
By comparison, supermarkets pay zero VAT on food, and are able to use that saving to sell alcohol to its customers at a discounted price.
A spokesperson for Wetherspoon pubs said: “It’s unfair that supermarkets pay zero VAT on food, but pubs pay 20 per cent.
"Pubs have been under fantastic pressure for decades due to the tax disadvantages it has with supermarkets.
“The tax benefit allows supermarkets to subsidise the selling price of beer.
“A VAT cut to 12.5 per cent is needed to ensure that pubs continue to thrive.
“We urge the Chancellor to create tax equality between pubs and supermarkets.”