UK tax regime is forcing pubs to raise pint prices Opinion Pubs do not want to raise prices, but endless tax pressures are giving them little other choice, writes Emma McClarkin.
How the school fee hike is hitting Londoners hardest Opinion Means-tested bursaries are based on assets, not just income, meaning many Londoners who live in high value properties but don’t have much to spare are missing out, says Henry Vaughan Last year’s addition of VAT to school fees has taken its toll on parents and the independent school sector alike. Figures released by the Independent [...]
Khan urges Reeves to bring back tax-free shopping Retail Mayor Sadiq Khan has called on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to bring back tax-free shopping for tourists to drive public revenue gains. Khan has lobbied the Treasury to re-introduce VAT-free shopping for visitors more than four years after the previous Conservative government scrapped the perk. Conservative City Hall member Thomas Turrell raised the issue of tourism [...]
Uber drivers plot exodus as platform swerves ‘taxi tax’ January 13, 2026 Uber is staring down the barrel of a potential driver exodus as members of its fleet threaten to jump ship to rival apps or return to black cabs, following a new year contractual overhaul designed to swerve a huge VAT bill. Documents seen by City AM show a wave of fury in private messaging groups, [...]
‘A load of rubbish’: Pubs round on Starmer’s licencing offer January 7, 2026 Pub and hospitality bosses have rounded on Keir Starmer’s suggestion that relaxed licencing laws may compensate the industry for business rates bills having risen at the Budget, branding the proposal “a load of rubbish”. The Prime Minister confirmed his government was talking to industry leaders about “what further support” ministers could provide pubs and other [...]
Fowl play: Morrisons loses £17m VAT battle over rotisserie chickens December 16, 2025 Supermarket giant Morrisons faces a £17m tax bill after the First-Tier Tax Tribunal threw out its dispute over VAT on cool-down rotisserie chickens. The dispute arose from George Osborne’s controversial 2012 Finance Act changes that sought to clarify the VAT treatment of hot takeaway food, famously known as the “pasty tax” debacle. Morrisons tried to [...]
Laurent-Perrier: King’s champagne supplier blames private school VAT for sliding sales December 9, 2025 Labour’s introduction of VAT on private school fees contributed to profit at Laurent-Perrier, which supplies King Charles III with champagne, being significantly cut during its latest financial year. The division of the French giant has said its sales were impacted not only by the Labour government extending VAT to school fees but also higher interest [...]
Autumn Budget ‘deeply concerning’ for squeezed hospitality industry November 26, 2025 The UK’s hospitality industry has been disappointed by the Autumn Budget, with no cuts to VAT and no changes to National Insurance. Even a cut to business rates has been described as “too little, too little” as well as something likely to get wiped out by an inflation-linked revaluation of rates next year. “This is [...]
Cabbies spark new war against Uber on tax loophole November 20, 2025 Cabbies have demanded Chancellor Racheel Reeves close a tax loophole used by Uber. Taxi drivers have written to the Chancellor asking her to make Uber pay the same level of VAT as black cabs, blaming lobbying efforts by the company for misleading the Treasury and the UK public on its perks. The Licensed Taxi Drivers’ [...]
Family businesses on brink after inheritance tax crackdown November 19, 2025 The damage wrought by the Chancellor’s inheritance tax crackdown on family firms has been laid bare by fresh research that found over a third are on the brink of closure before the end of the parliament. A poll of family business owners found nearly two thirds of the UK’s 4.8m family businesses are worried about [...]