Cost of a beer to soar by 30p a pint as pubs count the cost of business rate hikes, Brexit and living wage shake up
THE price of a pint of beer could be cranked up by a staggering 30p next year because of Brexit, leading pub operators have warned.
Booze firms have told the government they need protection from rising costs on three fronts in order to stop the price hike.
Pub companies told the Sunday Times that the Brexit vote has driven inflation and increased supply costs.
If goods are imported these costs are even greater because of the pound's fall in value.
Pub firms also said many boozers are seeing their business rates increase and this could in turn be passed onto punters.
The impact of having to pay the National Living Wage could also cause pint prices to rise.
Leading pub operators such as Greene King, Fuller's and Mitchells and Butler have told the government they will have no choice but to increase prices if they not are protected from these rising costs.
The companies complain they are already on tight profit margins as it is.
The average cost of a pint of beer in the UK is £3.47.
Pub firms are hoping Chancellor Philip Hammond will signal support for the sector on his first budget on November 23.
Kate Nicholls of the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers said: "Companies can take a hit on margins but they can't keep doing it for ever."
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