Commenting on yesterday’s decision by the French Parliament to hike French beer tax by a massive 160 per cent, Brigid Simmonds, Chief Executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, said:
“Lower strength drinks like beer shouldn’t be singled out for excessive tax hikes. However, it is still worth pointing out that even with this huge rise, UK beer tax is still more than three times higher than in France – around 39 pence per pint. And there must be more than a degree of Schadenfreude in Germany about Beer Tax, as the UK rate is now an astonishing 13 times higher than theirs.
“Under the UK Government’s escalator policy, Beer Tax is set to rise even higher, despite increasing by 42 per cent since March 2008. More than ever, we need a rethink on Beer Tax policy and a review of this unpopular and damaging tax.”
Ends
Notes to editors
The British Beer & Pub Association is the UK’s leading organisation representing the brewing and pub sector. Its members account for 96 per cent of the beer brewed in the UK and own half of Britain’s 50,000 pubs.
For further information, see today’s news release from the Brewers of