Earlier quoted context omitted.
Pubs are dying. Have been for years. Many deaths were postponed because their taxes were reduced due to Covid. Those taxes are now returning to normal levels. This will result in a glut of deaths, as pubs that were just hanging on go under. The policy question is, basically, do we want to subsidize pubs because they're part of our national culture, even though we don't use them nearly as much as we used to?
The government has decided that they know what’s good for you better for you than you do. So they tax alcohol at incredibly high rates. Without this more pubs could exist. So I don’t think it’s a case of subsidising as much as removing the disincentive.
I’m not familiar with the UK, but is the tax on alcohol at pubs higher than at a store? My general understanding was that people have just shopped visiting pubs for other reasons - like diluted drinks, crappy food, loud music, etc.