WETHERSPOONS has announced it is slashing the price of food and drinks at pubs around the UK for one day only.
The popular pub chain is giving customers a 7.5% discount to mark Tax Equality Day.
On Thursday, September 12, punters across the country will be able to buy their favourite food and drinks at discounted prices.
Wetherspoons is cutting the prices of all food and beverages in every single boozer in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
In Scotland, discounts will only apply to food and non-alcoholic drinks, the pub chain confirmed.
The promotion at the boozers aims to highlight the benefit of a permanent VAT reduction in the hospitality industry.
On Tax Equality Day, you could get a large breakfast, which normally costs £9.99, for £9.25 – saving 74p – at Wetherspoons.
A breakfast wrap, priced at £6.21, would cost £5.75 on September 21, saving you 46p.
A pint of Bud Light, priced at £4.42, would cost you £4.09 – 33p less than usual.
And a 500ml bottle of Kopparberg cider, usually priced at £5.64, would cost £5.22 on the day.
Bear in mind that prices at Wetherspoons pubs vary across the UK, so you won’t always get the same discount.
If you want to find your nearest pub, you can use the locator tool on Wetherspoons’ website or app.
After selecting your location or adding your postcode, the tool will bring up your nearest boozer.
All food and drinks in pubs are subject to 20% VAT.
In comparison, supermarkets don’t pay VAT on food, and can then afford to offer drinks at discounted prices.
Tim Martin, founder and chairman of Wetherspoons, is calling for a VAT cut to 12.5%, which he says would ensure that pubs, bars, and restaurants do not continue to close.
He said: “The biggest threat to the hospitality industry is the vast disparity in tax treatment among pubs, restaurants and supermarkets.
“Supermarkets pay zero VAT in respect of food sales, whereas pubs, bars and restaurants pay 20 per cent.
“This tax benefit allows supermarkets to subsidise the selling price of beer.”
He said pubs have been under “fantastic pressure” due to tax disadvantages as he added: “A VAT cut to 12.5% is needed to ensure that pubs, bars and restaurants do not continue to close, but instead thrive, invest and create new jobs.
“Customers coming to Wetherspoon’s pubs on Thursday 12 September will find the price of their food and drinks to be lower than normal.
“We call on the chancellor to create tax equality between the hospitality industry and supermarkets.”
FREE refills - Buy a £1.50 tea, coffee or hot chocolate and you can get free refills. The deal is available all day, every day.
Check a map – Prices can vary from one location the next, even those close to each other.
So if you’re planning a pint at a Spoons, it’s worth popping in nearby pubs to see if you’re settling in at the cheapest.
Choose your day – Each night the pub chain runs certain food theme nights.
For instance, every Thursday night is curry club, where diners can get a main meal and a drink for a set price cheaper than usual.
Pick-up vouchers – Students can often pick up voucher books in their local near universities, which offer discounts on food and drink, so keep your eyes peeled.
Get appy – The Wetherspoons app allows you to order and pay for your drink and food from your table – but you don’t need to be in the pub to use it.
Taking full advantage of this, cheeky customers have used social media to ask their friends and family to order them drinks. The app is free to download on the App Store or Google Play.
Check the date – Every year, Spoons holds its Tax Equality Day to highlight the benefits of a permanently reduced tax bill for the pub industry.
It usually takes place in September, and last year it fell on Thursday, September 14.
As well as its 12-day Real Ale Festival every Autumn, Wetherspoons also holds a Spring Festival.
It comes as a beachside Spanish pub mimicking Wetherspoons is now award-winning after becoming a hols hotspot known for cheap pints and delicious food.
Cleverly-named “Weatherspains” welcomes in travellers in Benalmadena on the Costa del Sol and has amassed hundreds of rave reviews.
The venue is loved by tourists looking for the comforts of a classic British boozer against a backdrop of Spanish sunshine and palm trees.
Now it has achieved such a boost in fame that it’s rated by Tripadvisor the no.2 ranked pub or bar in Benalmadena – out of 117.
It also claimed a Travellers’ Choice gong for 2023, boasting a rating of 4.5 on the travel website from 194 reviews.
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