The bosses of Britain's biggest pub chains have branded Rachel Reeves' industry taxes as "ridiculously disproportionate" and warned they will result in more closures.
At present, retail, hospitality and leisure firms are granted 40% off their bills up to £110,000 - a relief scheme which costs the government £1.7billion a year.
However, from next year that relief will be removed, with the government implementing a new business rates structure to "create a fairer system".
The Scottish Government, which has a different regime in place, has committed to its own review of business rates in 2026.
Wetherspoon founder and chairman Sir Tim Martin said the planned business rates shake-up would put further strain on pubs while they are already subject to higher taxes on food sales than supermarkets.
Martin said, The Telegraph reports: “Higher business rates will exacerbate the already ferocious tax disadvantage that pubs are currently labouring under, inevitably resulting in increased home consumption and less pubs.”
The Telegraph also reports Simon Emeny, the chief executive of Fuller’s pub group, said: “If the Government continues to fail to deliver on business rates, not only will it increase pub closures … it really damages the viability of a sector that is absolutely critical to the UK economy.
“The entire investability of the sector has been challenged by the actions of successive British governments over the last decade.
“Our sector carries a ridiculously disproportionate burden of the £25billion that’s currently raised from business rates. It’s long overdue that the Government found a fairer way of distributing this tax across the UK economy.”
Greene King chief executive Nick Mackenzie was also critical, highlighting that has 0.4% of the rateable property but pays 2.1% of the bills.
He said: “Pubs are going to be around for the long term, but we need to address the unfairness in the system to allow them to flourish.”
Read more in The Telegraph.