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- Alcohol duties were frozen across the board, making this the seventh year out of eight that they have failed to keep up with inflation
- In real terms, beer duty is now 19% lower than in 2012/13; cider and spirits duty 12% lower, and wine duty 3% lower
- These measures have contributed to the growing affordability of alcohol, which in turn leads to greater health harms: recent duty cuts have been linked to over 2,200 additional deaths
- They have also contributed to worsening health inequalities: a disproportionate share of these deaths have occurred in deprived communities
- Cumulatively, recent duty cuts will cost HM Treasury over £1.5 billion in 2020/21, and almost £13 billion over the ten years to 2024/25
- Cutting alcohol duty will do little to support the whisky industry (as over 90% of whisky is exported and not subject to UK excise taxes), nor the pub trade (which will merely be undercut by supermarkets)
- The government also announced a “post-EU exit” review of alcohol taxes starting in the summer. This represents a good opportunity to address the many irrationalities of the current duty system
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