The British Beer & Pub Association has welcomed today’s decision to grant a full Parliamentary debate on the Government’s controversial Beer Duty Escalator. The three hour debate will take place on Thursday, 1st November, with a motion that will call on the Government to review the policy.
Today’s move follows a growing campaign, with an e-petition that has attracted over 100,000 signatures, and new figures published today by the British Beer & Pub Association, which show UK beer sales, a key sector of the economy, falling by 5.6 per cent in the third quarter of 2012.
Since the introduction of the beer duty escalator in March 2008, beer duty has increased by 42 per cent and beer sales have fallen by 15 per cent. Most of this decline has occurred in Britain’s pubs and clubs. Over this period, 6,000 pubs closed their doors for good, with beer taxation costing the average pub around £66,000 per year.
Brigid Simmonds, BBPA Chief Executive, comments: “I welcome this decision; which shows many MPs are indeed listening to the public on this issue. This is about consumers – pub goers, beer drinkers and licensees who hate the tax which hits everyone hard. The task now is to persuade the Government that excessive tax hikes are the wrong policy, hurting jobs and pubs when instead, we could be delivering growth and employment.”
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