Allen Simpson

CEO, @ukhofficial. Business strategy, economic development, International trade & FDI. Ex London & Partners, London Stock Exchange and Barclays.

[Allen Simpson @allen_m_simpson]

Is now the right time for an extra hundred quid in tax on your family holiday?

No, it’s not.

👇 Go to the website below to use our calculator to find out how much more your holiday will cost.

And then use the tools to tweet about it and write to your MP.

[UKHospitality @UKHofficial]

A proposed holiday tax could impact hospitality, jobs and local communities.

Write to your MP to join our call to scrap the unfair holiday tax: 👉 https://t.co/RT43lI8YJV

#Stoptheholidaytax

[Sassan @Sassan_sir]

@allen_m_simpson A great opportunity for our industry to make it clear to the Chancellor just how critical the situation is. We need a meaningful VAT cut for hospitality and a reversal of the NIC hikes for all workers, not just young people.

[Allen Simpson @allen_m_simpson]

Yes

[Sassan @Sassan_sir]

Has @UKHofficial been invited?
@UKHospKate @allen_m_simpson

https://t.co/g6e8HeFDQd

[Allen Simpson @allen_m_simpson]

A tax isn’t free just because it’s levied locally.

The holiday tax will cost 33,000 people their jobs. That’s equivalent to the total UK employment base of Jaguar Land Rover.

[UKHospitality @UKHofficial]

“Local mayors are going to pull that lever until it snaps.��

@Allen_m_Simpson, our Chief Executive, spoke to @BBCRadio4 about the danger of giving local mayors an uncapped tax-raising power to implement a holiday tax.

[Allen Simpson @allen_m_simpson]

Precisely the impact we think a VAT cut would have here.

Ireland sees hospitality insolvencies down a quarter since their VAT cut.

@UKHofficial

https://t.co/hS96fP4BzA,

[Allen Simpson @allen_m_simpson]

The holiday tax is politically disastrous.

The three Welsh councils who consulted on it over the summer were taken aback by the level of opposition and have stopped.

Every mayor that introduces it will find the same thing I suspect.

[UKHospitality @UKHofficial]

“It’s absolute tissue rejection.”

Hear @Allen_m_Simpson, our Chief Exec, speak to @GBNews about how unpopular the holiday tax is among the public.

[Allen Simpson @allen_m_simpson]

@rcolvile Have you a chart which adds on these things at all?

[Allen Simpson @allen_m_simpson]

This was why an alignment model of Brexit was unsustainable.

Not that we would change. That europe would.

[Mike Gardner @mikegardner_wb]

Andrew Neil’s Brexit reality check on BBC Question Time.

In a nutshell:

Rejoiners are ignoring the huge political wind of change sweeping Europe and the UK v Germany/ France/ Italy growth rates make a nonsense of their Mickey Mouse economic arguments too.
#bbcqt

[Allen Simpson @allen_m_simpson]

We are at this point for several sectors.

Hospitality is looking at the point where growth is crippled in the rear view mirror.

[Sky News @SkyNews]

The UK is "very close" to a point where taxes will "cripple growth" in the economy, tech entrepreneur Euan Blair tells @CathyNewman

There is "genuine fear" among businesses that the UK will reach this point, Blair says.

https://t.co/PAiZ4D1jU3

📺 Sky 501

[Allen Simpson @allen_m_simpson]

@jnmaccoll @AlexBallingerMP Yeah that’s possible isn’t it.

[Allen Simpson @allen_m_simpson]

👋 @AlexBallingerMP

You say you’ve had no letters about this. I checked our https://t.co/15kPcIThNr site & at least 103 constituents have written to you to oppose it.

Let’s be generous and say you also had some in favour. So…150 maybe?

Might be worth checking your filters…

[LBC @LBC]

‘No one’s written to me to say it’s a bad idea.’
‘I’ll write to you first thing, because this is a bad idea.’

@DrLukeEvans and London business representative Ros Morgan aren’t satisfied by @AlexBallingerMP’s tourist tax justifications.

@IainDale

[LBC @LBC]

‘Labour’s war on hospitality is about to land on your holiday bill’

✍️ Benjamin Elks for LBC Opinion https://t.co/Yl7KehWwkb

[Allen Simpson @allen_m_simpson]

Sharing this from Mike and the @ntiaofficial for night time types looking ahead to Christmas👇

[Michael Kill @MickKill]

The Golden Quarter is make-or-break for nightlife trading. Are you ready to maximise it?

The final quarter of the year carries huge trading weight for night-time economy businesses, with Halloween, Christmas and New Year’s Eve presenting major opportunities, but competition for consumer spend is tougher than ever.

Join us for the next NTIA NTE Round-Up: The Golden Quarter Playbook – Maximising Revenue for NTE Businesses.

📅 Monday 12 October
⏰ 4pm BST
💻 Online | FREE to attend

We’ll be bringing together sector experts to explore:
*What’s actually driving revenue this Golden Quarter?
*How venues are rethinking Halloween, Christmas & NYE offers
*Pricing, packaging and event strategies that are delivering results
*Operational and policy pressures that could impact Q4 trading

This is about sharing practical ideas and insight to help businesses make the most of the most important trading period of the year.

Bring your questions, we’ll be putting the best of them to the panel live.
Can’t join us live? Register anyway and we’ll send you the recording.

Secure your FREE place via the link: https://t.co/qJeQp7f97H

[Allen Simpson @allen_m_simpson]

Watch.

I’m sure @AlexBallingerMP is a decent man.

But he’s wrong on a basic fact about the policy he’s justifying - not because it’s complicated. Because he didn’t check.

That’s what defines the holiday tax debate. The Government haven’t made any attempt to check their facts.

[LBC @LBC]

‘No one’s written to me to say it’s a bad idea.’
‘I’ll write to you first thing, because this is a bad idea.’

@DrLukeEvans and London business representative Ros Morgan aren’t satisfied by @AlexBallingerMP’s tourist tax justifications.

@IainDale

[Allen Simpson @allen_m_simpson]

Reading the data today on falling jobs, falling vacancies, but flat unemployment.

And rising public sector roles and wages against far flatter private.

A state that keeps growing, taxes up to pay for it, jobs in the private sector down as a result.

Where does it end?

[Allen Simpson @allen_m_simpson]

@rcolvile This is where I am.

I read the book ‘if anyone builds it, everyone dies’ and am now fairly certain we are living in the first 10 minutes of an apocalypse movie before the scientist runs into the Oval Office with armfuls of crumpled paper.

[Allen Simpson @allen_m_simpson]

This is the solution.

The tax on hospitality is just too high. Higher than other countries, higher than the wider economy.

It’s got so much worse in the past two years. It’s got worse again with the holiday tax.

Just cut VAT.

https://t.co/iYdA98hnHY

[The Telegraph @Telegraph]

The front page of today's Daily Telegraph:

'Hospitality chiefs urge PM to cut VAT'

[Allen Simpson @allen_m_simpson]

Dominic (I’m biased, he’s a board member) is a very decent and smart chap.

And he’s battling to keep a FTSE100 employer able to keep offering jobs and careers in the face of what feels like endless attack from government.

He’s right in this piece👇

[The Times and Sunday Times @thetimes]

Premier Inn owner: ‘Tourist tax’ could stop us opening new hotels https://t.co/Ar3Sknpe9P

[Labour Home @LabourHome_]

🍽️ UKHospitality is urging Labour mayors to back a 10% VAT rate for hospitality before introducing any overnight visitor levy.

The trade body argues that hotels, pubs, restaurants and other hospitality businesses are already facing significant cost pressures — and that reducing VAT would give the sector breathing space, support jobs and strengthen local economies.

Its message to Labour mayors is clear: back hospitality first, then consider new local levies.

Read more 👇
https://t.co/MMrg6dfrOe

@allen_m_simpson @UKHofficial @UKHospKate

[Allen Simpson @allen_m_simpson]

@jeremyhead Have a lovely weekend.

[Allen Simpson @allen_m_simpson]

Do you mean Spain, France, Greece exempt locals?

Or do you mean they all charge these higher tax rates?

If the latter, the underlying VAT is far lower so not true that this is a normal tax rate on hospitality.

Let’s use your examples

UK VAT = 20%

—-VS—

Spain VAT = 10%
France VAT = 10%
Greece VAT = 13%
Greece (islands) VAT = 9%