Published: 08 April, 2024
The UK government recently announced that it would create 20,000 new apprenticeships by reforming the complex, paperwork-fuelled, resource-thirsty apprenticeship levy system for SMEs. A move that should benefit hospitality businesses up and down the country by bringing in new blood at the beginning of their careers. Phrases like ‘cut red tape’ and ‘regulatory burdens slashed’ appear throughout the government’s official, grand announcement – but forgive me if I retain my cynicism for now. This is coming from a government that has done nothing but increase the burden on business. And I’ll come back to that shortly.
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Published: 26 March, 2024
Someone once told me that you know what your ideal job is when you enjoy it so much, are so motivated to get up and crack on every morning, that you’d do it even if you weren’t paid. That’s perhaps a bit unrealistic for most people whose primary motivation is to earn money to live, but the point is clear. It helps a lot if you love what you do.
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Published: 20 February, 2024
Miles Corish MW, MD of Milestone Wines, takes issue with ‘a classic case of smoke and mirrors’.
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Published: 22 January, 2024
Tax revenues from so-called ‘sin taxes’ levied on alcohol, tobacco, gambling and sugary drinks have fallen to 3.1% of total UK tax receipts, according to HMRC figures for 2022-2023.
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Published: 13 December, 2023
Following a review of business payments and cash flow, the government has found that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) were owed on average £22,000 in late payments in 2022.
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Published: 08 August, 2023
It doesn’t seem to matter what flavour of government you have at the moment – when it comes to the spirits and hospitality industries, there’s a stench of incompetence. In Scotland we have the incredibly public failure of the DRS scheme, which, as a result, has wasted millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money. But don’t be fooled – it really is no better, south of the border. Westminster will raise you a cock up, in the form of the increased duty rates.
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The government claims new proposals to enable businesses to ‘blend’ and ‘transform’ bulk wine on UK turf will ‘put a rocket’ under UK trade, by allowing businesses the flexibility to blend across countries of origin – though some say this will sound death knell for wines of provenance.
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With just one month till the government’s alcohol tax hikes are effective, the Wine and Spirits Trade Association (WSTA) has reiterated why the “crippling” duty increases should be scrapped.
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Industry chiefs have expressed a modicum of optimism about potential changes to the current plans for the new duty escalator, which could possibly avoid plunging businesses into a tangle of red tape – if only the government continues (or maybe begins) to listen to reason.
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Published: 31 March, 2023
A snap survey by UKHospitality reveals the staggering costs the industry faces on the eve of the new Energy Bill Discount Scheme, which will reduce government support to businesses.
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Published: 14 February, 2023
Luvians manager Archie McDiarmid fears for the future of the alcohol industry in Scotland if government proposals go ahead
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Published: 16 December, 2022
A Gateway Review into the already pushed back Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for Scotland has concluded that the scheme won’t be fit to launch by August 2023.
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Published: 02 November, 2022
I like to think I’m a man with common sense. Yet, when I look at the stifling, strangling system of regulations we face as an industry in the UK, I see absolutely zero of it.
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Published: 12 October, 2022
The industry has welcomed the news that government will expand its help for businesses with their energy bills, with subsidies set to cover contracts going back to December 2021.
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Published: 04 October, 2022
On Sunday, October 2, prime minister Liz Truss announced that red tape would be cut for thousands of growing businesses.
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Mounting pressure is being placed on the government to ease the ‘financial fragility’ of the hospitality sector during its upcoming review of business rates, as businesses continue to suffer rising supply chain costs and runaway inflation.
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The government has announced that it will extend the alcohol off-sales easement, introduced during the pandemic, to September 2023, following a campaign led by UKHospitality and other sector bodies.
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A new taxpayer-funded ad campaign will ask businesses to cut prices to help with the cost-of-living crisis from July.
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As the latest Wine Drinkers UK communique suggests, taxing alcohol is set to cost the wine industry an estimated £300 million and push up prices for UK consumers, without bringing any significant boost to Treasury funds.
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Published: 11 March, 2022
In April, the VAT on hospitality sector purchases will return to the pre-pandemic rate of 20%. The increase follows two years of reduced rates for the industry; in July 2020, rates were reduced to 5% before rising to 12.5% in October last year.
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