In a submission ahead of the Budget the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) has shown how the sector is in growth and how punitive taxes could have “disastrous consequences”.
Chairman Keith Bott said: “Local beer volumes are in growth and local brewers are investing to meet this growing demand, creating jobs and making a significant contribution to their local economy.
“However, the government’s beer taxation policies will, if unchecked, undo all the good created by SBR. For local brewing to thrive, so must pubs: 82 per cent of our members’ production is draught beer. Yet the very existence of this vital route to market is threatened by successive hikes in duty that are rapidly turning a pint of beer into an unaffordable luxury – and encouraging drinkers away from a low-alcohol drink, enjoyed in the controlled environment of the pub, towards higher ABV drinks, consumed in unlicensed and unsupervised premises.”
In the last five years beer duty has gone up 35 per cent and is expected to rise again at the next budget.
