Publicans have called on the Government to introduce measures to address the number of pubs closing in rural areas.
A recent report by the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland found that rural counties had the highest rate number of pub closures in the last 20 years.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Colm Ó Mongáin, the CEO of the Vintners’ Federation of Ireland Pat Crotty said they are calling for a reduction on excise duty on draught beer.
“It’s homegrown, we should be supporting it. It is the least damaging of all alcoholic products,” he said.
“It is the lifeblood of small pubs and the social, cultural, community and tourism things that that are all connected with small rural pubs.”
2,100 pubs in Ireland have closed their doors since 2005, according to research by the Drinks Industry of Ireland.
Mr Crotty, however, has said that the closure rate of pubs in Ireland is even worse than what has been suggested.
“The closure rate is even higher. It’s not one in every three and a half days now, it’s one in every 2.8 days, which is 20% worse than the headline suggests,” he said.
“In other words, the trend is getting more severe. It’s going to become more critical over time.”
Mr Crotty said that the Vintners’ Federation were proposing a reduction on excise on beer in order to combat the rising cost of keeping a pub open.
He accused the Government of “moving the goalposts” with their recent changes to cuts in the drinks industry.
“Our argument is that the moving of the goalposts has been done by the Government.
“It is the significant change in Government-driven cuts that has caused us to be in the situation where otherwise healthy and viable businesses are now saying there’s no future in this,” he said.
Mr Crotty estimated that the cost of the proposed excise cut to the Exchequer could run as high as €73 million.
“The particular excise cut that the Vintners’ Federation of Ireland are proposing to help small publicans is of the order of €73 million, which is a tiny fraction of the cost of the VAT change for food operators,” he said.
“It would help all publicans, but it would particularly help all small publicans.”
Read more: ‘Sad day for Ireland’ – former publican on pub closures
