Responding to the increase of alcohol duty in line with inflation, announced in today’s UK Budget, Dr Alastair MacGilchrist OBE, said:
“Today’s decision to increase alcohol duty in line with inflation – which is simply maintaining it, in real terms – is positive. It comes after years of cuts and freezes under the previous government which contributed to the deaths of hundreds of people in the UK, let alone the impact this had on wider health, social and economic costs by making supermarket alcohol so cheap.
“Not only that, as we and others who want to reduce alcohol harm have argued, the Chancellor has acknowledged it is possible to provide targeted support to pubs and hospitality and to support small producers with a larger duty relief, especially for lower strength products. These measures balance public health with support for pubs and independent businesses, while avoiding support for the big producers of cheap alcohol that causes so much harm when consumed at home. It is now for the Scottish Government to decide if it wants to provide similar targeted support for hospitality, in addition to the draught relief continuing as a result of today’s announcement.
“We have been making the case for reintroducing the alcohol duty escalator and now that the Treasury has confirmed that improving public health is one of the drivers behind today’s decision to increase duty, we will continue to make that case as an escalator is good for public health and its good for public sector spending.”