Rachel Reeves has announced a 15‑percent discount for pubs, worth an average of £1,650 in the next tax year, followed by a two‑year freeze in real terms and a pledge to rethink valuation methods for hotels by the next revaluation in 2029. The package, while sizeable for the hospitality sector, leaves restaurants, cafés and hotels-six of seven of the 3.5 million jobs in hospitality-without extra relief. Hospitality UK warned that the average rise in business rates could reach 115 % for hotels, potentially forcing Reeves to revisit business rates in the autumn budget. Critics say the Treasury mis‑modelled the impact of the pandemic‑era relief withdrawal and ignored broader cost pressures such as energy and wages, while Labour’s promise to overhaul the system remains unfulfilled. The government defends the move as a necessary step to address inherited problems, but the policy is seen as a short‑term fix rather than a comprehensive reform.

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