UK Pubs Face Closure as New Tax Hike Bites

Chancellor Rachel Reeves's claim that her business rates changes will help the trade has been met with disbelief by pub owners across England and Wales. They say the tax increase, combined with soaring staff costs and energy bills, threatens their survival. Emma Harrison, managing director of the award-winning Three Hills pub in Cambridgeshire, is deeply worried. After calculating her rising tax bill, she struggles to see how her business can remain profitable. “I’m really terrified about this coming year,” Harrison says. “We’re a well-run pub, we’ve won lots of awards, but this is going to be really hard.” Publicans describe feeling squeezed by rising costs from every direction. They argue the government's policy will do more harm than good to the struggling industry.