IN ASSOCIATION WITHINYOURAREA please log in to view this image Every adult could be given £500 in vouchers to help save the UK high street - and kids would get £250 The vouchers would be valid for use in shops, hospitality and leisure sectors SHARE Linda Howard 12:48, 7 JUL 2020 UPDATED15:03, 7 JUL 2020 please log in to view this image Enter your postcode for local news and info
These vouchers are a great idea, they’ve worked a treat in other countries and by the time HMRC click back the tax on them there’s a lot of the cost covered. If they safeguard tens of thousands of jobs it’s an absolute no brainier, not to mention the morale lift folk would get. Seems likely they will do it. ‘Retail and hospitality’ which for me says ‘free pints for 6 weeks’ ha.
Vouchers didn't happen... but instead Sunak heralds a midweek type 2for1 deal @ Nando's... yep, that's gonna get the economy moving, and help the hundreds of thousands of renters that are having to choose between paying for rent or food.
People who can afford to eat out don’t need help. This is moronic, something to help people who can’t spend was the move, £10 off a £30 meal someone can’t afford is less than nothing. Idiots.
I don't really have an issue with the idea on its own. I mean, it's not really meant to be helping people go out and eat, it's helping businesses that have had their doors closed for months. We need the people who are fortunate enough to be able to afford to go out for food to actually do it. If this encourages more of them to do so, on days when restaurants are normally quiet, then it might help keep them in business, and thus keep a lot of people employed. My concern is about it being only certain places. It's really the small independent places that will be desperate for custom, and if this just encourages people to go to Nandos, Weatherspoons and the likes then I'll really fear for the smaller places. The worry for me is that it wasn't complemented by additional measures to help those who are behind on rent etc, the people who really need helping in addition to the businesses that really need helping. For those who can spend we can get a cheaper meal out, we can buy a house with reduced stamp duty, we can go to attractions and pay less vat. For those who are struggling to put food on the table, pay rent and pay bills there didn't seem to be much
Yeah that’s kind of my point in a more detailed way. Im gonna eat out anyway I probably wouldn’t even remember to use the discount, there were much more viable ways. Payments to cover rent arrears, council tax breaks etc, all really useful and help more folk. If someone is £2-300 short on their bills and that’s covered, naturally they will be in a position to support retail or hospitality anyway. For me, they have to be thinking more about low income families etc that are struggling, they ain’t gonna be supporting hospitality anyways but they would certainly have used the retail voucher floated. It’s not, for me, any kind of ‘stimulus’ to the economy.
