Kmflett's Blog

A rather younger Tim Martin outside his local, The Imperial, Exeter

This won’t please those who are currently once again demanding the return of gammon to the menu on the We Love Wetherspoons Facebook site (seriously) but in the Sunday Times list of the top UK tax payers Tim Martin is in eighth position having paid £199.7m in tax.

He tells the paper ‘I can’t complain about the level of taxation-that’s a political issue. Parties put forward their ideas and voters decide. What is unfair and economically counterproductive is the way pubs have to charge 20% VAT while supermarkets don’t’.

Martin is far from always right but there he has a point.

Wetherspoons pubs pay around £1m each in a range of taxes each year. As Martin is currently opening new pubs he clearly feels that is sustainable although he has been making ‘dinner party’ comments about the Government again. Perhaps if there was a Wetherspoons in Kentish Town Starmer would go there rather than the Good Beer Guide listed Pineapple pub which is his local.