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Political parties must support spirits industry
The Wine and Spirits Trade Association (WSTA) has published a general election manifesto urging the British government to commit to policies that will help the industry grow.
The WSTA has launched a general election manifesto urging political parties to support the spirits industry
With the general election less than four months away, the document also calls for policies that will tackle alcohol related harm and promote responsible production, supply and consumption of alcohol throughout the UK.
Additionally, political party leaders are being encouraged to visit distilleries to demonstrate their support for homegrown produce.
“As we get closer to the General Election, the WSTA has developed a manifesto to encourage our political parties to adopt policies that will support the UK’s great and growing wine and spirit sector,” commented Miles Beale, chief executive of WSTA.
“We believe that the policies suggested will help create a future for our industry that allows it to be globally competitive and to increase its contribution to the UK’s public finances, growth and job creation.
“The principle of partnership and self-regulation runs through all aspects of what the WSTA aims to achieve. We want to remain a committed partner in the policy-making process and the policies within this manifesto have been developed in this view, for the benefit of consumers and the wider economy.”
Other proposals within the manifesto include stocking British spirits at government receptions, make alcohol awareness education compulsory in schools and stop any more “unnecessary” licensing changes, which are “costly to businesses”.
Furthermore, the file highlighted the importance to “rebalance” duty rates with a 2% cut in order to give consumers a “fairer deal”.
It corresponds with the Drop the Duty campaign, which urges all parties to support the tax reduction and reverse the year-on-year alcohol duty increases in the next Parliament to enable the industry to increase sales and employment to benefit the economy.