MP supports call for freeze in Beer Tax

15th March 2012
MP supports call for freeze in Beer Tax

Gordon Henderson MP has called on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to back Britain’s beer and pub sector by calling time on planned punitive tax increases in the Budget.

Mr Henderson has signed a House of Commons motion (Early Day Motion 2785) supporting pleas from industry and consumer groups, including the British Beer & Pub Association, the Society of Independent Brewers and the Campaign for Real Ale, for the Chancellor to abandon the planned +5% hike in beer duty, saving 16,000 jobs over the next three years.

According to new analysis by leading economists Oxford Economics for the BBPA:

• The beer and pub sector sustains 1391 jobs in the Sittingbourne and Sheppey constituency.
• This includes 407 jobs for 16 – 24 year olds, who have been hit hard by the economic slowdown.
• The sector adds £29 million to the local economy.
• The sector also contributes £13.3 million in taxes to the exchequer.
• In total the beer and pub sector supports almost 1 million UK jobs and 46% of those employed in the sector are 16 to 24 year olds.

Commenting on the campaign, Mr Henderson said:

“These figures show how important the brewing and pub sector is to Sittingbourne and Sheppey. I hope the Chancellor will take action to protect these jobs by scrapping the beer duty escalator. This will also help our much-loved local pubs, the communities they serve and the important local facilities they provide.”