This petition was submitted during the 2019-2024 parliament

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Petition Reduce VAT for small businesses in the hospitality sector to 5%

The COVID19 pandemic is affecting the food service sector. There will be losses of jobs and income and ultimately small businesses will close.

For businesses to endure the crisis a reduction in the VAT will allow the redistribution of business revenue into staff wages, rent, and lower sale prices

More details

In 2015 the British Hospitality Association reported that the UK hospitality industry paid £41 billion in tax with approximately half being VAT.

That same year the industry employed 2.9 million people, with 1.5 million working in restaurants. It is impossible to know how many will lose jobs in the short term.

Eventually the industry will need to recover and return to 'normal'. The lower tax rate will benefit not just the small business owners but the staff they employ and the consumer.

This petition is closed This petition ran for 6 months

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Petitions Committee questions Government on its response to coronavirus

Last week the Petitions Committee put some of the most popular questions from the public about coronavirus to the Government Minister for Schools, the Minister for Disabled People and the Deputy Chief Medical Officer. These included:

  • How long will schools be closed for and what will the impact be on exams and grades?
  • What financial support will be available for the self-employed?
  • What financial support will be offered to people who are unable to pay their rent or bills due to self-isolation or loss of work?
  • What support will be offered to the events, creative and hospitality industries now that pubs, clubs and cultural venues have been closed?
  • What clear, practical steps can people take to make sure they are following Government guidance on social distancing, household isolation and self-isolation?
  • Who is being tested and why, and will tests be made freely available to everyone?
  • What is the Government doing to ensure that everyone is getting the right information?

Watch the session on YouTube: https://youtu.be/aPLXJcZEfi8

Read the transcript: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/192/the-governments-response-to-coronavirus/publications/written-evidence/

Because of the large number of petitions that we continue to receive on coronavirus we have sent more questions to the Government to answer.

Read our letters to different Government Ministers: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/326/petitions-committee/publications/3/correspondence/

Some of the questions we’ve asked include:

  • When will testing capacity will be increased; who will testing be available for and will it be free?
  • What is being done to tackle the spread of disinformation?
  • How quickly will support for self-employed people be made available?
  • What will happen to the school year? Will summer holidays be cancelled so that children can catch up?
  • How are foodbanks being supported to continue operating during the outbreak?
  • What is being done to address panic buying and prevent price hikes of key items?
  • Will trains, buses and flights continue to operate? For how long?

We’ll email you again to let you know when we get a response to these questions, and to let you know about any more action the Committee takes.

Who are we?

We are the House of Commons Petitions Committee. We are a cross-party group of MPs that looks at e-petitions submitted on petition.parliament.uk. We are independent from Government. You can find out more about us and our work on our website.

You can follow the Petitions Committee on Twitter: @HoCpetitions.

Further information

You can read impartial House of Commons Library information about coronavirus here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/coronavirus/

You can find out more about coronavirus and how you can protect yourself and others here:

https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

You can read NHS tips to help if you are worried about coronavirus here: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-anxiety-tips

Share your ideas for supporting UK high streets

On 19 October, Janet Daby MP will lead a Westminster Hall debate on support for UK high streets.

To inform the debate, she wants to hear about your experiences and ideas. She may quote your contribution directly during her debate.

Find out more and share your ideas with her here:
https://houseofcommons.shorthandstories.com/support-for-uk-high-streets/index.html

Videos of the debate, the transcript and other relevant material will be accessible shortly after the debate on this webpage.

The deadline for contributions is: midday, 13 October

What are Westminster Hall debates?

Westminster Hall is the second Chamber of the House of Commons.

Westminster Hall debates give MPs an opportunity to raise local or national issues and receive a response from a government minister. Any MP can take part in a Westminster Hall debate.

Debates in Westminster Hall take place on ‘general debate' motions expressed in neutral terms. These motions are worded ‘That this House has considered [a specific matter]'.