Tories clobber 'responsible' drinkers as Scotch taxed more than cider
The Tories are clinging to ‘outdated stereotypes’ of pub lovers and unfairly clobbering “responsible drinkers” with tax hikes, industry figures warned.
Analysis by the Scotch Whisky Association found whisky drinkers would pay £200 more a year in tax compared to people who order pints of cider. That’s after Jeremy Hunt slapped spirits served in pubs with an inflation-busting 10.1% duty increase, which kicked in on August 1.
Mark Kent, Chief Executive of the group said: “The pub is about more than the pint, and it’s past time the government realised that. A third of alcohol sales in pubs, bars and restaurants are Scotch Whisky and other spirits.”
The Treasury has defended the changes to alcohol duty, saying it was "common sense" to tax drinks according to strength. The Chief Medical Officer’s recommended alcohol limit is 14 units a week. The combined duty and VAT on 14 units of cider in pubs comes to £1.47, while the same number of units of whisky are taxed at £5.32.
Mr Kent added: “It’s clear responsible consumers want alternatives to beer and cider, but the government’s increase in duty means they’ll pay through the nose for their drink of choice despite consuming the same amount of alcohol. The Chancellor should rule out any further increases in duty on Scotch and spirits. He should be supporting these products, not clinging to outdated perceptions of the pub and providing tax breaks for high volume beer and cider that contain more units of alcohol than a dram of Scotch.”
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