Bar Talk
Straight talk from behind the bar: opinion and comment on the issues facing independent and free-of-tie publicans.
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A 10% VAT rate for hospitality: would it save pubs, or just disappear?
The Budget left VAT at 20% and the campaign for a 10% hospitality rate goes on. Supporters say it would mean jobs, investment and…
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Welcome to Bar Talk
News, views and honest advice from 28 years behind the bar. Here’s what this column is for, and how to read it.
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Budget 2026: what it means for the pub. Have we been forgotten?
John Healey’s first Budget gives pubs in England a bigger rates discount from April 2027. It also puts up beer duty, lifts the wage…
