UK consumers believe alcohol duty is ‘too high’
As the UK’s spirits industry awaits the Treasury’s Budget this week, a recent survey has revealed that more than three-quarters of Scots believe its pre-planned tax increases are too high.
A recent survey by Onepoll has revealed more than three quarters of Scots and 67% of Brits believe the UK’s alcohol duty is too highOnepoll asked 2,000 people across the UK about their views on the alcohol duty escalator, with 76% of participating Scots claiming that the Chancellor’s planned duty hike on alcohol is too much.
The survey found that 67% of those surveyed across the UK also believed the alcohol duty escalator resulted in unnecessarily high taxation.
According to the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), some 79% of the price of an average bottle of Scotch Whisky is made up of duty and VAT, while this will go up to 81% if the escalator takes affect again this year.
The SWA joined the Wine and Spirits Trade Association (WSTA) and the Taxpayers’ Alliance in launching a new campaign urging Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne to scrap the automatic tax escalator and freeze alcohol duty during next week’s Budget statement.
The Call Time on Duty campaign claims that an end to these measures would boost public finances by £230 million and create 6,000 new jobs in 2014.
David Frost, CEO of the SWA, said: “We urge the Chancellor to listen to that large majority of the population who believe the alcohol duty escalator is simply unfair to a major Scottish, and British, industry. People are still under financial pressure and scrapping the escalator and freezing duty would help ease some of that pain.
“An overhaul of the alcohol duty system would support not just the Scotch Whisky industry, but also the wider hospitality industry, which provides employment across the UK.”
George Osborne will announce his Budget to Parliament on 19 March.
