Wetherspoon’s major price shakeup – exact date | UK | News
JD Wetherspoon has announced that it will be making a big change to its prices for one day. The group, which has hundreds of venues across the UK, will be offering a 7.5% discount to celebrate Tax Equality Day, a campaign launched by Wetherspoon. This is a campaign launched by pub chain JD Wetherspoon to highlight the disparity in the application of VAT to hospitality venues compared to supermarkets and how these VAT rates endanger pubs.
The day will fall on Thursday 17 September and will see Wetherspoon venues across the country offering discounts on both food and drink. The price reduction applies to all food and drink in England, but only on food and non-alcoholic drinks in accordance with licensing laws in Scotland. On the day, the pub will show how much customers would pay if the VAT charged on pubs was in line with the VAT applied to supermarkets. So if you usually spend £10 on products at Wetherspoon, you’ll spend just £9.25 on Tax Equality Day.
Tim Martin, founder and chairman of Wetherspoon, said: “The biggest threat to the hospitality industry is the huge disparity in tax treatment between pubs, restaurants and supermarkets. Supermarkets pay zero VAT on food sales, while pubs, bars and restaurants pay 20 per cent VAT.
“This tax advantage allows supermarkets to subsidize the selling price of beer. Pubs have been under incredible pressure for decades due to the tax disadvantage they have with supermarkets.
“It makes no sense for the hospitality industry to subsidize supermarkets. VAT needs to be reduced to 12.5 per cent to ensure pubs, bars and restaurants do not continue to close but instead thrive, invest and create jobs.
“Customers coming to Wetherspoon’s bars on Thursday, September 17 will find food and drink prices lower than usual.”
He added: “We call on the Chancellor to create tax parity between the hospitality sector and supermarkets.”
For example, a large breakfast normally costs £7.53. But customers can buy it for £6.97 on Tax Equality Day, saving 56p. Meanwhile, a breakfast pack that usually costs £5.18 will cost £4.80 a day, saving customers 38p.
Mr Martin has previously criticized the government’s “perverse” tax system, claiming it puts pubs at a disadvantage.
He told the Daily Mirror: “This tax inequality is damaging businesses and high streets, but it’s also damaging the social fabric of the country; where else can you temporarily escape the attention of your own family other than pubs?”
