A LANDLORD has warned ministers against taxing pubs out of existence.

Jonathan Crisp, a former tank commander and now landlord of the Glue Pot pub, attacked rising beer duties.

The attack came as Jonathan’s Emlyn Square boozer earned a place in the Good Beer Guide for the 11th year in a row.

He said the hundreds of pubs contained in the pages of the Good Beer Guide were testament to the increasing appeal of real ales. He added: “It makes it all the more of a shame that around three pubs close their doors for good every day, pubs that are the heart and soul of our society and culture.

“The reason is simple: £1 in every three spent over the bar goes on taxation, beer duty, VAT and business rates.”

He said beer duty needed to be cut further: “Would you happily sit in a pub with a friend and the taxman while you and your friend buy every round? Well, you do. The cost of every three rounds goes to the taxman.”

Jonathan added: “Beer Duty is now linked to the Retail PRice Index, which means a likely increase at the next budget and every year for the foreseeable future. The last time beer duty increased year on year was between 2008 and 2013. The impact on the beer and pub sector was catastrophic.

“Our pubs are a British success story. They have been at the heat of our community for generations and remain one of our most valuable assets. We need to treasure them, not tax them out of existence.”

In August, after revelations Swindon had lost a quarter of its pubs since 2010, the government said pubs were able to claim rates relief. Since 2013, pubs and their customers had saved around £3bn thanks to changes to alcohol duty, a Treasury spokesman said.

A former soldier in the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment, Jonathan left the army to run pubs. He came to the Glue Pot in 2008 and has been the licensee for the last five years.

He said it was a remarkable achievement the pub had managed to stay in the Good Beer Guide for its 11th year in a row: “We are simply overjoyed by this important recognition which brings in good, real ale-seeking people from all over the place.” Visitors have come to the pub from as far-afield as Norway in search of a perfect pint.

Jonathan added of his pub, CAMRA Swindon and North Wiltshire’s cider pub of the year: “The Glue Pot remains unashamedly one of the last bastions of the traditional British pub.”

The Glue Pot is at 5 Emlyn Square. For more, call: 01793 497420.