Nearly fifty MPs joined with the British Beer & Pub Association, the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) and the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) yesterday, by sending a ‘Message in a Barrel’, calling on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to cut beer duty in the Budget on 16th March.
MPs posted their messages in the handcrafted barrel, specially made by Yorkshire brewer Theakston’s, to add their voice to the beer duty campaign. The three cuts in beer duty in the past three Budgets have proved a massive boost for brewing and pubs in the UK, resulting in more affordable beer and hundreds of millions of pounds of investment in pubs.
However, there is still more that can be done. Beer tax in the UK remains far higher than that of neighbouring European countries. In Germany, for example, the rate of tax on beer is some thirteen times lower than here in the UK. Brewing and pubs make a massive contribution to the UK economy. The sector supports almost 900,000 jobs across the country and contributes £22bn to UK GDP.
Andrew Griffiths MP, Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group, said:
“I want to thank all the MPs who continue to show such strong support for cuts in beer duty. The campaign has strong, cross party support, as another duty cut would protect jobs, pubs and investment in the sector.”
Brigid Simmonds, Chief Executive of the British Beer & Pub Association, said:
“I am delighted that so many MPs have shown their support for cutting beer duty. Still in pubs, two thirds of all alcoholic drinks sold are beer. Beer in pubs is now 20p cheaper than it would have been had the escalator remained in place. Strong support from MPs always gives a real boost to our campaign – we have built a very strong case for further duty cuts to boost employment and protect pubs, as the industry still faces big cost pressures particularly in the next year.”