The Chancellor must act to save Britain’s pubs

SIR – Brewers and the pubs that they supply are part of the fabric of British society and bring communities together. However, their future remains in the balance, and we risk losing them for good if we do not take action now.

I have written, along with many colleagues, to Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor, ahead of the Budget, asking him to relieve some of the burden of taxation on a stillbeleaguered sector. Brewing and pubs contribute a vast amount economically and socially, and for a relatively small investment – that of freezing the headline rate of beer duty and increasing the tax discount for beer sold in pubs – we can help to secure their future.

The public finances remain under intense pressure, but there are some investments we simply cannot afford to ignore. That is why I ask the Chancellor to come to the aid of these great British institutions and unlock investment for their growth.

Henry Smith MP (Con)

London SW1

SIR – Having been charged £17 for one glass of white wine in a Suffolk pub, I am now taking Scotch with my dinner – at only £5 a shot. I feel sorry for the hospitality industry and the inflation it is suffering, but to charge customers £51 for a bottle of wine that cost less than £10 is outrageous.

Evan Llewellyn

London SW3

SIR – The prospective rise in corporation tax to 25 per cent for the biggest companies is justified, and in line with other countries’ rates.

What is not justified is the record tax take from self-assessment taxpayers. For them, the rates are not 19 per cent or 25 per cent but 40 per cent or 45 per cent. British business does not consist only of corporation taxpayers. All businesses are worried about their finances, their main concerns being taxes applied before profit can be made, such as VAT, business rates, National Insurance – and, above all, energy costs, which amount to a tax.

Rodney Atkinson

Stocksfield, Northumberland