PUBS and restaurants face a “cliff edge” unless Rachel Reeves axes a looming tax hike, anxious bosses have warned.

Some 170 hospitality chiefs – including booze giants like Greene King, Fuller’s and Wetherspoons – are demanding further business rates relief at the Budget.

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A 75 per cent business rates cut is due to end on April 1 and will saddle the already-struggling sector with £914million in fresh levies.

In their letter to the Chancellor, the bigwigs write: “In recent months the hospitality sector has become increasingly worried about the onrushing business rates cliff edge that hits the economy on April 1 next year.

“This Budget is the last chance to prevent bills quadrupling for high streets across the country.

“We are asking you to grasp this opportunity to deliver your manifesto commitment to fix business rates and protect businesses.”

Without action, the bosses warn that more venues will be forced to close, leading to job losses and holes in high streets.

UK Hospitality’s Kate Nicholls said: “This 170-strong cohort of business leaders across hospitality shows just how important addressing business rates is at the Budget.

“Inaction will lead to bills quadrupling and more venues shutting their doors for good, which will rob our towns and cities of vital community hubs.

A government spokesperson said: “We’re supporting businesses, including hospitality, through pledges to cap corporation tax at 25 per cent, make the business rates system fairer, and to publish a business tax roadmap so that future investments can be planned with confidence.”

A MAN who grew up living in a “rough” council house and later became a millionaire explains how he manages to take his wife on six holidays a year.

Karl Hudson, 33, from Newcastle, sometimes works 18-hour days and is such a workaholic he even took his laptop on his honeymoon.

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The entrepreneur built his SEO successful business by launching a website from his parents’ bedroom.

He created Searcharoo back in 2008 and has been “involved with multiple businesses to help investors get their websites ranked.”

Karl, a proud Geordie who still lives in his home town, lives in a £350,000 house with their two Yorkshire Terriers with wife Charlotte, also 33.

The Geordie credits his ambition to “growing up in a rough area in a council home”.

Karl said: “Despite the area we lived in, I had a great upbringing and my SEO journey actually started in that house.

“My dad, who worked as a life coach, needed help with designing a website and with 14-year-old me being a big fan of computer games, he called on me for some help.

“Back in those days it was a lot of trial and error, with a big emphasis on error – it was the perfect way to learn.”

He also said that when he started his career he “didn’t need much in terms of financial backing”.

Karl said: “When I started SEO, it was hugely different [to how it is now].

“You were capable of just spamming and things would rank, the trickiest part is all of the algorithm changes and trying to test what is working, because Google doesn’t tell you.

“So networking with other people, testing and sharing ideas, is what I’ve done for many years to help give me the edge, which has definitely helped contribute to my success.”

The couple live in a and are travelling in Australia and Bali during a four-week honeymoon, following their wedding in July this year.

While Karl reinvests much of his earnings, he occasionally likes to treat himself to fun toys, too – his latest purchase is a £35,000 Ford Ranger Wildtrak, while his wife drives a £55,000 BMW X5, which the entrepreneur paid for.

His success grew through various investments and agencies, as well as the entrepreneur’s own personal website.

The 33-year-old lives a luxury lifestyle but admits his career takes a toll on his marriage because he can never really switch off.

Karl said: “We’ve had six holidays in this year alone – visiting places such as Thailand, Poland, Vietnam, Spain and the Philippines.

But the work doesn’t stop. If I have to jump on the laptop while we’re out there, then I’m going to do it because that money means the next trip will be even better.

“My work allows us to have the finer things in life, which she definitely enjoys. I’ll never change.”

“My constant working can cause issues and arguments,” said Karl, who got married earlier this summer.

“My wife knows that I can get absorbed in the job but that this is a sacrifice we have to make to live the life we now have.”

Karl says extreme dedication is necessary for anyone who wants to succeed in business.

While he has been with Charlotte for the past eight years as a partner, he’s also her employer – she’s a content manager at Searcharoo.

Karl believes his financial success is down to his resilience, something he thinks today’s generation struggle with.

He said: “I’ve had some days in my career where I’ve been working for 18 hours straight but it doesn’t phase me.

“I find it impossible to switch off as I love what I do. I’m not one to flash the cash, though – I’m actually quite a reserved person.

“The harder you work the more you get. Unfortunately, with how easy technology has made everything, I fear that the younger generation has lost that fire.

“Gen Z expects everything to be handed to them but that’s not the real world – I’ve got out exactly what I’ve put in.

“Younger lads wouldn’t dream of working on holiday but if they want a life like mine, it’s part of the grind.”

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A LOTTERY winner has been left in “shock” after underestimating the incredible Postcode Lottery prize that he had just bagged.

George Mounsey, one of the winners from Derbyshire, received “unbelievable” news after discovering the cheque value, thinking he had only received £30k.

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After realising the true value of the winnings, George immediately asked: “When does this go in the bank”.

George with his partner, Margaret Blurton, has since considered investing in a caravan but has admitted their still too stunned to finalise any spending.

This is not the first luck the pair have received, after the couple rekindled their romance from when they were teenagers after an unlikely meet-cute in a supermarket.

Tragically, Margaret lost her son and daughter to cancer but admitted that her four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and rest of the family “will get better Christmas presents this year”.

George said: “We might even get a bigger turkey”.

He was not the only one in the winning group to underestimate the offering.

Paul Rowland, who works with the prison service national distribution centre, originally saw the number two on the cheque and assumed he had won £20,000.

Little did he know that there would be a long row of zeros waiting for him to cash in from the enveloped cheque.

Breaston has now been dubbed “millionaire street” with the three next-door neighbours all taking home an incredible £200,000 cheque after DE72 3BC bagged the lucky draw.

The total £1 million jackpot was shared out with an additional bungalow owner, Paul White, as well as another anonymous local.

Alison Browne, a freelance exam coordinator, described the win as “life-changing” and now plans to celebrate with her husband, Tim.

The pair hope to fulfil their lifelong goal of hopping on to the Orient Express as well as a trip to the Rockies in Canada.

Alison said: “Never in my wildest dreams did I think we would win this much.”

Tim has revealed he even hopes to treat his wife to a puppy that could keep their current Pointer, Finlay, company.

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A MAN who bought a crumbling house has transformed the ruin into a retirement fortune worth millions.

Richard Morris and his wife, Joy, got their hands on the Newton Court Farm in Monmouth after finding retirement too boring and struck gold with their decision.

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The 72-year-old told WalesOnline how he built Ancre Hill estate piece-by-piece with the winery now consisting of three vineyards totalling 22 acres.

Richard has now made the decision to put the site, which produces around 30,000 bottles a year, up for sale for a whopping £3.4 million.

Originally looking to retire in his 40s, Richard sold his transport and logistics company to travel with his wife and visit as many vineyards as they possible could.

However, the retiree “soon got bored” and “felt it was too early to call it a day” and so bought a seven-bed house surrounded by vacant fields.

He even returned to school, achieving a diploma in viticulture from Plumpton College, Brighton, to learn about the technical processes of vineyards.

Richard said: “It’s been fantastic. Instead of being stuck behind a desk all day or sitting in a car all day, I’m out in the fresh air in the vineyard or I’m in the winery but I can’t go on forever.”

Being one of the most sustainable wineries in the world, the structure was originally made from straw and rendered lime mortar.

The first vines were planted back in 2006 and since then Richard and his wife have developed the site to what it is now.

Describing the original farm house as “basically falling down” the money the couple have spent to renovate has clearly paid off in the long run.

Their venture in producing wine has developed beyond a retirement hobby with the pair establishing sales in Michelin star restaurants and others across the globe.

Richard even found a South African winemaker, Jean Du Plessis, to oversee the incredible feat ensuring the smooth-running of the wine produce.

Despite the challenging weather that the UK climate can bring, Richard continued to explain how much he enjoys the process.

Beyond the environment, Richard has other factors that are out of his control including the steep levy which UK wine is subject to.

From February 1, the number of tax bands for wine is expected to increase from one to 30 and Richard claims that supermarkets have been frustrated with the move to hike up taxes on the products.

Despite the few negatives, he still works three days a week across the different vineyards which have pinot noir, chardonnay, albarino and other hybrid varieties planted.

With the wine being particularly popular amongst young people, the business has been exported to Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong.

They now hope to find further buyers elsewhere, including Scandinavia.

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A MAN is facing homelessness after he was evicted from the house where he has lived for 50 years – because his mum died.

Neville Pass, 53, has lived in the three-bedroom semi in Shrewsbury since the 1970s.

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After Neville’s four siblings moved out and his dad died, he was left alone with his mum Doreen.

For the past three years, Neville was Doreen’s full-time carer as she slipped into poor health – before she died in June aged 83.

As he was coming to terms with her loss, Neville was slapped with an eviction notice.

Neville was told he was no longer classed as a carer for his mum and the semi was “too big” for his needs.

He slammed housing bosses for “coldly” booting him from his childhood home when he has little money after years caring for his mum.

Neville said the eviction notice also demanded he emptied the house, so he was forced to take all of his mum’s belongings to the tip.

The council has since told Neville they are unlikely to be able to find him a new home because he is not classed as disabled.

‘NOT APPRECIATED’

Neville said: “My mum was a lovely lady, very kind, and put up with a lot of pain in the last years.

“But we always managed to smile about something and enjoy the local countryside.

“For the last three years I was her full-time carer. But she passed away earlier this year, after years of heart kidney and liver problems.

“Housing Plus have now asked me to leave because it is a three-bedroom house and I am not a carer any more.

“They said I could stay only in ‘special circumstances’ but they don’t consider my situation as a ‘special circumstance’ .

“I have lived here all my life. As a full-time carer you can’t get a full-time job or a mortgage or save much money.

“So to be asked to leave a house after nearly 50 years is uncaring and cold.

“They said I had to empty the house, so I had to take all of my mum’s things and throw them in the tip.

“They have allowed me to stay temporarily in the house but I have to go soon.”

Neville added: “I’m paying full rent – I’m on benefits so can’t even afford the heating.

“I asked the council for help and they said they would try to help me find a house.

“But because I’m not disabled they they said it was unlikely they would be able to find me one.

“I spent more than 10 years with my mum helping her, especially at night.

“She was always breathless because of her heart problem. I helped calm her down and gave her oxygen.

“I was told people like me save the NHS millions – but now I’m coldly being told to leave.”

Neville said: “I guess carers are not appreciated as much in Shrewsbury.

“I hope rules can be put in place to help carers readjust to life instead of being told you’re not a carer anymore and made homeless.”

‘HUGE DEMAND’

Housing Plus’s Les Clarke said: “I am sorry to hear about this situation which I understand is very upsetting for our customer.

“We are supporting and helping him to find a suitable home and he is remaining in the current property whilst this process takes place.”

Clarke added: “We always work to support our customers in these circumstances.

“We do our best to find suitable alternative accommodation for them.

“However, it is important that we use our housing stock as efficiently as we can. There is huge demand for larger properties in this area.

“We have many people on our waiting list including people living in temporary accommodation.”

RACHEL Reeves is under pressure to soften a Budget tax raid on bosses amid warnings it would strangle growth.

Insiders believe the Chancellor could now back away from raising employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs).

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It comes amid furious claims such a rise would breach Labour’s manifesto.

Ms Reeves was instead said to be considering a lesser move to levy NICs on firms’ pension contributions.

She was also believed to be eyeing a £1billion inheritance tax grab on shares in small and medium-sized firms currently exempt from the levy.

Ministers are considering raising fuel duty despite warnings it would contradict their vow to protect working people.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the mooted employer NIC rise would not break Labour’s election pledges.

He did not deny that an extended freeze to income tax thresholds would drag an extra million workers into paying higher rates.

It came as a report warned taxing businesses would further damage UK competitiveness on the world stage.

Britain ranks 30th out of 38 OECD nations for competitiveness and could plunge further.

Daniel Herring, from The Centre for Policy Studies, said: “There’s a real danger that Britain could end up with one of the least competitive and most anti-growth tax systems in the OECD if the expected tax rises come to fruition.”

Tina McKenzie, from the Federation of Small Businesses, said the Budget must deliver “on the growth promises in the election”.

She said: “The Chancellor should back small firms to deliver more jobs, better pay and fire up our economy.”