CHANCELLOR Rishi Sunak will extend the VAT cut on pubs and restaurants until at least June, Trending In The News can reveal.
And the five per cent rate may carry on for the rest of the year as businesses reopen.
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Treasury sources told Trending In The News that the extension for the hospitality industry was deemed part of the pandemic package and would continue until the end of the lockdown exit plan which will see outdoor hospitality open on April 12.
Mr Sunak yesterday reassured the industry he was looking out for them, after hearing from campaigning pub landlord and ex-model Jodie Kidd.
He said on Times Radio: “It’s because I care about that industry and the people who work in it that I want to try and do what I can for those jobs.
“They should feel reassured they remain uppermost in my mind.”
Pub chiefs urged Mr Sunak to also cut beer duty in this week’s Budget.
Emma McClarkin, of the British Beer & Pub Association, said: “When we are through this crisis it is pubs that will bring our communities together again.”
Mr Sunak issued his biggest hint at tax rises and warned he will have to “level” with the nation over Covid costs.
He all but confirmed that the furlough scheme would continue until June, saying: “There is more to come.”
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