It is estimated that around four pubs a day are going out of business, at least that is a 2008 figure. Wherever you are locate din the country chances are there is at least one venue that you have frequented that has gone out of business.
But why? What is causing this downturn. After the smoking ban came in, many landlords raised concerns that it would hit their businesses hard, with many regulars instead deciding to stay at home where they can smoke.
Others fear that it is cheap supermarket alocohol prices that are costing pubs revenue. As one reveller put it , ‘you can spend a whole weeks worth of money on one night out’ while at the supermarket you can buy the same amount of alcohol for some times half the price.
But you are not just paying for the alcohol when you are at a pub. It is the experience as well, but is this an experience that could be slowly fading away?
Greece has recently raised taxes on alcohol as part of measures to get rid of its debt. This could also have the effect of cutting the amount people are drinking. This is a method that has been used with cigarettes. Using taxes to try and put people off smoking while using the text revenue to support the health service that will eventually have to treat the smokers.
Indeed, the Health Select Committee has called for such measures as minimum prices which they feel could save thousands of lives a year, even for such a small increase as fifty pence.
