Whilst pubs are closing left right and centre, the drug and prostitution sectors appear to be in good health - and growing dramatically!
The Office of National Statistics have reported that consumers in the UK spend more on illegal drugs and prostitution than on beer and wine. Well, not in our village (to the best of my knowledge).
They say that £12.3 billion was spent on drugs and prostitution - but only £11 billion on Beer and Wine. So HMG gather billions in tax and duty from B & W but naff all from D &P (both D & P being recorded as miscellaneous goods and services, presumably!!)
I wonder if HMG are going to introduce as many laws for D & P as they have for B & W, and then ensure that the tax revenue grows from such activities? I doubt it, myself. Much easier to go on persecuting the poor old publican!
We run courses on Drug Awareness and preventing same, but not got into a course on prostitution yet. However, good to see there are some growth industries in the UK!
Has the world gone mad?
Martin Read CMBII
Managing Director of Inn-Dispensable Personal Licence Training
Showing posts with label wine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wine. Show all posts
Friday, 3 October 2014
Wednesday, 3 September 2014
Cheap Food & Drink in Pubs on September 24th!
The mighty campaign to see VAT on food and drink reduced in pubs from 20% to 5% drives forward.
Buy a pint and a pie in a pub and pay an extra 20% - compared to purchasing the same in a supermarket. No equality there!
So the argument is simple; reduce VAT in pubs, create more sales, more employment, and therefore more income to the treasury. All of this whilst removing the tax inequality twixt pubs and supermarkets.
September 24th will see thousands of pubs reduce their prices by 7.5% (which has the same impact if VAT was reduced to 5%).
Tim Martin Chairman of JD Wetherspoon said that his 900 pubs will participate and they intend to make September 24th the busiest day of the year. Well done to him, say I!
Many other pub companies and individual operators will also support the day, so get down your pub on the 24th!
Martin Read CMBII
Managing Director of www.inn-dispensable.com Personal Licence Courses
Buy a pint and a pie in a pub and pay an extra 20% - compared to purchasing the same in a supermarket. No equality there!
So the argument is simple; reduce VAT in pubs, create more sales, more employment, and therefore more income to the treasury. All of this whilst removing the tax inequality twixt pubs and supermarkets.
September 24th will see thousands of pubs reduce their prices by 7.5% (which has the same impact if VAT was reduced to 5%).
Tim Martin Chairman of JD Wetherspoon said that his 900 pubs will participate and they intend to make September 24th the busiest day of the year. Well done to him, say I!
Many other pub companies and individual operators will also support the day, so get down your pub on the 24th!
Martin Read CMBII
Managing Director of www.inn-dispensable.com Personal Licence Courses
Friday, 29 November 2013
Alcohol Advertising Ban in Blackpool
There is little doubt that Britain's Las Vegas, Blackpool, is under pressure to maintain its long and hard earned reputation for fun and frolics. It might soon become the ghost town of closed saloons! The lights might go on shining but there will be little fun to be had.
The council there are now seeking to ban all alcohol advertising outside of pubs. Additionally, they're also looking to ban many licensed outlets from remaining open after 3.00am, known as an EMRO (an Early Morning Restriction Order).
So signs of "Fine Ales", "Cask Condition Ales sold here", "Enjoy a Pint of Fine Ale" et al could become a thing of yesteryear in the bastillion town of good Northern beer!
At a council scrutiny committee meeting recently the members concluded that advertising alcohol "helps encourage an acceptance of drinking and re-enforces positive images of alcohol". Well what do you know, that is the very purpose! They have a concern that young people in particular are enticed by such advertising and are seduced into excess consumption.
I am all for the responsible retailing and consumption of alcohol, and the industry really is doing lots to educate the younger drinker of the perils, but introducing more and more laws and restrictions will only serve to make alcohol itself appear like stolen fruit and stolen fruit as we all know is much more attractive!
Education, Education, Education is the answer, not legislation
The council there are now seeking to ban all alcohol advertising outside of pubs. Additionally, they're also looking to ban many licensed outlets from remaining open after 3.00am, known as an EMRO (an Early Morning Restriction Order).
So signs of "Fine Ales", "Cask Condition Ales sold here", "Enjoy a Pint of Fine Ale" et al could become a thing of yesteryear in the bastillion town of good Northern beer!
At a council scrutiny committee meeting recently the members concluded that advertising alcohol "helps encourage an acceptance of drinking and re-enforces positive images of alcohol". Well what do you know, that is the very purpose! They have a concern that young people in particular are enticed by such advertising and are seduced into excess consumption.
I am all for the responsible retailing and consumption of alcohol, and the industry really is doing lots to educate the younger drinker of the perils, but introducing more and more laws and restrictions will only serve to make alcohol itself appear like stolen fruit and stolen fruit as we all know is much more attractive!
Education, Education, Education is the answer, not legislation
Tuesday, 26 November 2013
Latest Research Reveals Alcohol is Good For Health and Sex
I always knew that my dear old Dad was right when he told me "Son, a little of what you fancy does you good … but all things in moderation". Now I learn that my favourite pastime, a visit to the pub for a few jars is good for me!
Tony Edwards, a science journalist and writer, has brought together leading research on the effects of alcohol and found that, far from being harmful, drinking could prevent illness. Red wine is best, and beer works too - but must still be drunk in moderation.
More good news, drinking can improve your sex life! Tony writes: In a 2009 study, the University of Florence asked 800 women aged between 18 and 50 to answer a standard questionnaire on 'female sexual function'. What did they discover? Teetotallers scored 68 per cent on sexual satisfaction, those who regularly drank a single glass of red wine 72 per cent, and those who often drank two glasses 76 per cent. Ah, but is this a causal relationship or just a correlation? In other words, does red wine marginally improve a woman’s sex life, or do the kind of women who choose to drink it also have a good sex life? We don’t know.
Male wine-drinkers haven’t yet had their sex lives investigated. The only data I can find is that a constituent of red wine increases the effectiveness of the erectile dysfunction drug, Levitra — but only if you’re a rat, perhaps some of my male buddies should be aware of this.
Tony also tells us in his new book, 'The Good News About Booze', that drinking is also good for many (many) ailments and writes: A businessman goes to his GP and complains "My hands hurt, I get a bit of a pain in my chest sometimes, and I’m beginning to forget things". The doctor examines him and says "You’ve got a touch of arthritis, possibly mild heart disease, and you may be in the first stages of dementia. How much are you drinking?". "Never touch a drop, doctor" says the patient proudly. "Ah, that explains it" says the GP, wagging an admonishing finger. "Here’s a prescription for red wine and a few pints of bitter".
So, buy his book and read it in the pub! You will get educated and improve your life chances at the same time (you will also be with like minded people) I think the research should also focus on the fact that a visit to the pub is good for you!
Oh, and before I get castigated; of course "Drink Responsibly".
Martin Read CMBII
Managing Director of Inn-Dispensable Personal Licence Courses
Tony Edwards, a science journalist and writer, has brought together leading research on the effects of alcohol and found that, far from being harmful, drinking could prevent illness. Red wine is best, and beer works too - but must still be drunk in moderation.
More good news, drinking can improve your sex life! Tony writes: In a 2009 study, the University of Florence asked 800 women aged between 18 and 50 to answer a standard questionnaire on 'female sexual function'. What did they discover? Teetotallers scored 68 per cent on sexual satisfaction, those who regularly drank a single glass of red wine 72 per cent, and those who often drank two glasses 76 per cent. Ah, but is this a causal relationship or just a correlation? In other words, does red wine marginally improve a woman’s sex life, or do the kind of women who choose to drink it also have a good sex life? We don’t know.
Male wine-drinkers haven’t yet had their sex lives investigated. The only data I can find is that a constituent of red wine increases the effectiveness of the erectile dysfunction drug, Levitra — but only if you’re a rat, perhaps some of my male buddies should be aware of this.
Tony also tells us in his new book, 'The Good News About Booze', that drinking is also good for many (many) ailments and writes: A businessman goes to his GP and complains "My hands hurt, I get a bit of a pain in my chest sometimes, and I’m beginning to forget things". The doctor examines him and says "You’ve got a touch of arthritis, possibly mild heart disease, and you may be in the first stages of dementia. How much are you drinking?". "Never touch a drop, doctor" says the patient proudly. "Ah, that explains it" says the GP, wagging an admonishing finger. "Here’s a prescription for red wine and a few pints of bitter".
So, buy his book and read it in the pub! You will get educated and improve your life chances at the same time (you will also be with like minded people) I think the research should also focus on the fact that a visit to the pub is good for you!
Oh, and before I get castigated; of course "Drink Responsibly".
Martin Read CMBII
Managing Director of Inn-Dispensable Personal Licence Courses
Friday, 13 September 2013
Pubs to Drop Drinks Prices on September 25th
The campaign for a VAT reduction to 5% for the pub industry (Tax Parity Day) is hotting up!
The planned day of action looms where thousands of pubs are due to reduce their prices by 7.5% which would mirror the effect of the reduction of VAT to 5%, the anticipated effect of the action days is to see growth in sales of 8%. Sorry about all of the numbers, but it is a mathematical equation to underpin the message that a permanent VAT reduction would see growth of employment and development in the leisure sector.
Tax parity twixt pubs and supermarkets is the goal in all of this, which in turn would likely persuade more people to visit the pub rather that sit lonely at home supping Ale!
Here is the argument; Supermarkets in effect pay little or no VAT on food whereas pubs pay 20%, this enables supermarkets to subsidise their sales of alcohol, this in turns results in a huge gap between pub and supermarket prices. The VAT Club, headed up by Jaques Borel (see my previous blogs) are seeking to have VAT in pubs reduced to 5%, and their case is; Since a pint in a pub is three to four times more expensive than a supermarket the cash VAT per pint levied by the government would be similar in supermarkets and pubs if VAT was reduced as they suggest.
Just one issue, it apparently would cost HMG £12 billion to do it!
Support your pub, visit it on the day of action, put Wednesday 25th September into your diary!
The planned day of action looms where thousands of pubs are due to reduce their prices by 7.5% which would mirror the effect of the reduction of VAT to 5%, the anticipated effect of the action days is to see growth in sales of 8%. Sorry about all of the numbers, but it is a mathematical equation to underpin the message that a permanent VAT reduction would see growth of employment and development in the leisure sector.
Tax parity twixt pubs and supermarkets is the goal in all of this, which in turn would likely persuade more people to visit the pub rather that sit lonely at home supping Ale!
Here is the argument; Supermarkets in effect pay little or no VAT on food whereas pubs pay 20%, this enables supermarkets to subsidise their sales of alcohol, this in turns results in a huge gap between pub and supermarket prices. The VAT Club, headed up by Jaques Borel (see my previous blogs) are seeking to have VAT in pubs reduced to 5%, and their case is; Since a pint in a pub is three to four times more expensive than a supermarket the cash VAT per pint levied by the government would be similar in supermarkets and pubs if VAT was reduced as they suggest.
Just one issue, it apparently would cost HMG £12 billion to do it!
Support your pub, visit it on the day of action, put Wednesday 25th September into your diary!
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