Pub chain increasing the price of a pint over National Insurance tax hike

A major pub chain has increased the price of its drinks in response to tax hikes in the last Budget.

The price of a pint at Marston’s has gone up by about 10p – although the increases vary across the country.

They say they need to increase their prices after Labour increased business National Insurance contributions, a sentiment echoed by many businesses who fear cost pressures could be passed on to customers.

Marston’s latest preliminary results said it had made £42.1million profit before tax, an increase of 64.5% since last year.

But they say the autumn Budget has put ‘additional pressure on costs’.

In a statement Marston’s told Sky News: ‘At Marston’s, we pride ourselves on offering great value and experiences for our guests every day of the week.

‘We regularly review our pricing as part of the normal course of business and our teams work hard to minimise the impact of external pressures on our customers and pub partners.’

The spokesperson added: ‘This is not a decision we’ve taken lightly but, as has been widely reported, the cost of doing business is increasing across the sector.’

Marston’s have more than 1,500 pubs across the UK – but draught beer is set to go up in price by about 10p per pint.

This is despite Chancellor Rachel Reeves cutting draught duty by 1.7% which she said would result in ‘a penny off a pint in the pub’.

Other major retailers expecting to see prices rise include Wetherspoon, Greggs, Toby Carvery, Currys, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Asda.

More than 70 businesses have signed an open letter telling the Chancellor that the changes in the Autumn budget mean price hikes are a ‘certainty’.

Marston’s price rises are the latest blow for pub-goers already facing Guinness ration cards due to a shortage caused by an ‘unprecedented surge in demand’.

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