India, Jan. 27 -- The British government on Tuesday moved to ease pressure on the struggling hospitality sector, announcing a support package for pubs and live music venues to offset planned rises in property taxes that had triggered widespread backlash last year.

While pubs have been in long-term decline, driven partly by changing drinking habits and demographics, they continue to occupy a centuries-old place in British social life and national identity.

Proposed hikes in commercial property taxes announced in November's budget sparked a backlash from the industry, with warnings of widespread closures and even a group of more than 1,000 landlords banning Labour Party lawmakers from their premises, according to a Reuters report.

After ...