The local chef has further commented on the ongoing campaign to lower hospitality VAT to 10%
We spoke to Paul Askew, Chef Patron and owner of The Art School in Liverpool, back in June this year to get his thoughts on the state of the hospitality industry and some of the struggles it is facing.
Paul has now provided an update on the situation, saying: “Months into the #VATsTheProblem campaign, we are still waiting for meaningful dialogue from the government and to reduce UK hospitality VAT to 10%.
"We cannot make it any clearer how the entire hospitality industry in the UK is buckling under intense, and quite possibly irreversible, pressure. There are ongoing closures of restaurants, pubs, bars, hotels, food halls and many more are coming, linked to how we are effectively penalised by turning ingredients into meals through high VAT costs which is wildly out of line compared to our European neighbours.
"The situation grows ever more grave, on top of damaging NI contributions plus high energy rates, minimum wage rises and massive food inflation. There’s also the issue of NICs causing mass unemployment for people aged under 24; we can help create employment opportunities for the 100,000s of NEETs across the UK, but it’s also quite possible there won’t be many hospitality businesses left for them to work in if this trajectory continues.”
If you want to find out more about the campaign, or show your support, visit vatstheproblem.co.uk.
Get the latest news to your inbox
Get the latest food & drink news and exclusive offers by email by signing up to our mailing list. This is one of the ways that Confidentials remains free to our readers and by signing up you help support our high quality, impartial and knowledgable writers. Thank you!
