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I am currently in the Westcountr y at a trade show, so a bit of a shor ter comment from me this week

This show, once again, was a wonderful oppor tunity to get feedback from the “coalface” Visitors to the show were mainly from the independent sector of hospitality pubs bars restaurants, cafes, B&B’s, hotels, and outside caterers All, I have to say, quite optimistic about trade this coming summer, but highly critical of the state of our economy and its impact on hospitality

Staycation in this “neck of the woods’ is an absolute boon, and many people looking forward to a busy holiday period, but spiralling costs are , of course , a grave concern

Energ y costs are at the top of concerns I heard accounts of eye watering increases, but that was of no surprise - our costs in print have spiralled too

And it cannot go on 155 hospitality businesses have written to the Chancellor calling for immediate action I hope they have better luck than I did when I wrote to then Chancellor Rishi Sunak I received a polite but resounding set of “ no ’ s ” to the suggestions I made which were general industr y issues that have been brought up repeatedly over the years

Reducing tourism VAT would, as operators said here in Cornwall, make a HUGE difference to their ability to compete with European destinations

I cannot for the life of me see why any competent person, par ticularly one in charge of the nations finances, cannot see that our top rate deters visitors who see rates in Europe only half as much, and in current circumstances people are looking for the best possible value

Add to that taxation, the cash cow that is alcohol taxes must be addressed The duty freeze expires on August 1, and I have seen no calls for the Chancellor to extend it fur ther

It would be disastrous to even consider increasing it, so I hope the protest of November 25 (which I attended) is still ringing in his ears NO MORE TAXES!

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