Campaigners are demanding that Britain uses its Brexit freedoms to save thousands of pubs from closure and put a smile on Nigel Farage’s face.
The former Brexit Party leader turned GB News host is known to love a glass of beer but currently the British pint is the second most taxed in Europe.
The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) is now calling on the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to end an anomaly and bring beer duty down to below German levels.
It has pointed out that in a league table that they “do not want to be at the top of”, last year’s 10.1 percent increase to non-draught beer duty saw Britain move up another place in Europe’s beer duty rankings.
The UK overtook Ireland leaving Finland the only country in Europe taxing its beer more than the UK.
Emma McClarkin, Chief Executive of the British Beer and Pub Association said: “We are moving in the wrong direction when it comes to beer duty rates around Europe.
“When it comes to the shockingly high rate of beer duty Britain pays, the position of the British consumer has further declined compared to European counterparts, with last year’s increase pushing us into having the second highest rate in Europe.
“The Government has rightly made reducing inflation a key priority to reduce the cost-of-living burden faced by households across the country.
“The fact that British beer drinkers are now the second highest taxed in Europe clearly demonstrates that there is more the Government can do to reduce the everyday expenses that consumers face, starting with a cut to beer duty at the Budget.”
Mr Hunt is due to unveil his Budget in March with a number of tax cuts expected.
Other nations across Europe with a rich brewing history lsuch as the Czech Republic and Germany, have duty rates seven times and twelve times lower than Britain respectively.
This vast difference in beer tax leaves Britain’s pubs with no choice but to charge loyal customers more with every £1 out of £3 spent in a pub going to the taxman.
With the Government launching its ‘Brexit Pubs Guarantee’ last year, the 2024 Budget represents an opportunity to extend Brexit opportunities and make a significant cut to Beer Duty, especially considering Britain’s position almost at the very top of the European rankings for rate of beer tax.
The beer and pub sector currently adds over £26bn of value to the British economy, supports 936,000 jobs whilst simultaneously generating £15bn in taxes for the Treasury.
However, pub numbers have been strongly in decline in the 21st century, with roughly 1 in 4 of the UK’s pubs having closed since 2002, and around 10 pubs a week closing in both 2022 and 2023.
Support for Brexit came from one of Vote Leave’s chief backers in 2016 with the newly knighted Sir Tim Martin, who owns the Wetherspoons pub chain, and argued that the trade would be better off outside the EU.
