Beer down a penny a pint in UK Budget
He also cut cider and spirits duties by 2% and froze the duty on wine.
“The Chancellor really is a ‘Hat Trick Hero’. His third successive beer tax cut shows he has listened to consumers, publicans and brewers,” commented Brigid Simmonds, Chief Executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, “Beer tax is now 10 pence lower than it would have been under the beer duty escalator, which he abolished.
“It will boost employment by 3,800 this year alone and attract new capital investment. It will put £180 million in the pockets of beer drinkers and pubgoers. That is a huge difference.
“Cutting beer duty supports a great British Industry which contributes £22 billion to GDP and supports almost 900,000 jobs. It’s also a boost for pubs, as beer accounts for seven out every 10 alcohol drinks sold in our pubs.
“The renewed confidence in our sector is reflected in rising beer sales in 2014 for the first time in a decade.
“There is of course more work to de done, and we look forward to persuading MPs in the next Parliament that further action is needed to encourage consumers towards our lower-strength, British-made national drink,” she concluded.
Bart Storan, Campaign Manager for Support Your Local here commented, “The ‘Support Your Local’ campaign today highlighted that British Chancellor Osbourne today cut beer duty by 1p on a pint, cider duty was cut by 2% and Scotch whisky duty by 2%, highlighting the 16,000 jobs created last year following last year’s excise cut.
“The drinks and hospitality industry in Ireland provides 92,000 jobs across the country and supports 12,000 farm families. The ‘Support Your Local…’ campaign which includes suppliers, pubs, restaurants, hotels and independent off-licences hope that come Budget 2016, our government will similarly recognise the massive contribution that the industry makes to local communities across Ireland. “
