A coalition of Britain’s biggest restaurant and pub owners has urged the Chancellor to tackle the “crisis in hospitality and the high street” with “root-and-branch reform” of the tax system, including a freeze on business rates and a levy on tech giants.
In a letter to Philip Hammond seen by The Daily Telegraph, hospitality companies including Slug and Lettuce owner Stonegate, Pizza Express and Wagamama call for a tax on internet giants to be included in his Budget.
The sector’s major players said the proceeds of a levy on Google and Facebook should be used to fund a freeze on business rate increases to ease the pressure on bricks-and-mortar outlets.