Pizza Hut UK exec asks gov’t to help businesses by reducing VAT

Amidst inflationary pressures, Pizza Hut UK wants VAT to be lowered to 12.5%.

Following the rising inflation, an official from Pizza Hut UK and Ireland has asked the new UK government to lower value added tax to 12.5% to protect business operations.

“At Pizza Hut, we want to realise our development plans to both create and protect jobs and support our communities and consumers. To do this, we need the new Government to prioritise protections for businesses that provide opportunity, including by lowering VAT back to 12.5%,” said Neil Manhas, managing director and chief financial officer at Pizza Hut UK and Ireland, in an emailed statement.

Manhas also lamented that businesses, including Pizza Hut, are facing headwinds such as labour shortages, rising fuel, food, fuel, and utility prices, as well as supply chain woes.

Manhas’ reaction came after figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that the Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers' housing costs (CPIH) went up by 8.2% in the 12 months to June 2022, an increase from 7.9% in May.

Month-on-month, CPIH grew by 0.7% in June 2022, compared with a rise of 0.4% in June 2021.