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Tax changes on alcohol

Drinks Chat
#21

I can understand the system whereby duty is applied by strength of alcohol content, but the illustrative poster is misleading. No White wines above 11%, just one dubious SB at that level and no quality English ciders at 6-8% which will be hit hard by the increase.

So, someone drinking 8 pints on a big night out saves next to nothing (and still consumes 16+ units) while a couple enjoying a bottle of good red or white wine pays almost 50p more for their shared 10 or 11 units. Is this part of ‘levelling up’?

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#22

Robert Joseph has crunched the numbers:

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#23

Recent Chateauneuf vintages are going to get hammered!!

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#24

As mentioned further up, 11.5% is the break even point and so majority of still wine will attract an increase .
Looking at a 58p increase on a 14.5% wine , not really sure who this is supposed to benefit … to me, its all a load of smoke and mirrors to detract from the fact they’re once again increasing duty on wine .

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#25

Plus 20% VAT = 70p.

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#26

Yes. How wonderful of Sunak to try and disguise what is in fact an increase in “most” wine as a reduction ! No one is surprised :see_no_evil:.

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#27

No, of course not. This is classic Mr Johnson: distract the great unwashed / chattering classes with a beer photo-opportunity. It worked for Farage, why not steal the idea?

+5.7% increase in weatherspoons share price (notable Tory fanboys) - and a nice thank-you to the brewing CEO’s who urged people to vote Tory in the 2015 General Election (yes I know this is old data - surprisingly hard to find recent numbers)

Rooney Anand, CEO, Greene King
Ralph Findlay, CEO, Marstons
Andy Harrison, CEO Whitbread
Jonathan Neame CEO, Shepherd Neame
Michael Turner, Chairman, Fullers

While the discount 3p a pint is nothing to the punter (and unlikely to materialize) , it is MASSIVE to Greene King considering they are the UK’s biggest pub chain.

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#28

It always is Leah, poor old Richard is the hardest hit with sherry and God help all those who like a port or even worse spirits after all spirits only attract currently …The Spirit Duty you pay on a 1 litre bottle of 40% ABV vodka is 40% of £28.74, or £11.50. plus 20% VAT, I am amazed they can’t run the country on alcohol and fuel taxes alone, it was forever thus.

Anyway we will be looking at around 60-70 p on a bottle of 14% red or white wine, which by the time this tax comes in will almost certainly have gone up by that much anyway.

Time for those that can to fill their cellars or garages or wine fridges or under stairs or anywhere with the good stuff.

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#29

…and really hammering Port and other fortified wines. Overall it’s been an easy target for huge duty rises, letting off the beer, whisky and ESW industries while adding even more (in 2023) to an already inflationary Autumn for our wine importers. Thank heavens for Reserves…

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#30

I love these budget pronouncements or similar, anyone remember 1967, cough, Harold Wilson with the pound in your pocket will not be affected by devaluation of sterling, how we laughed…

#31

The thing I find annoying about the change is that duty is a per litre cost. Which means you absolutely hammer 13.5% wine that previously costed, say, £10 with a 5%-odd increase in price. For the majority of the public £10 is a decent bottle of wine - a treat, really.

For, and just picking a random wine that has no political relevance here, but say a Tignanello… price increase of around 0.5%.

That said, I have some champagne that I wasn’t planning to drink until 2024 in reserves and it’s IB still. So I guess I should stop complaining…

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#32

Appallingly inaccurate reporting about this topic on BBC news just now - no facts about the majority of wines seeing a duty increase. Made it seem like there was only a positive effect for consumers - ie Prosecco and Beer winning, with ‘wine’ also lumped in.

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#33

That gave me a chuckle, ta.

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#34

Very much a slight of hand to the brewery doners. The cut on beer is only for 40L, and most small indies brew 30L. As posted by my local craft brewery and verified on the BBC. An absolute sham. :rage:

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#35

Just another sneaky Brexity moment really…wine is for foreigners, beer for Farage…

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#36

And see this:

A pair of chancers.

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#37

By 2023 everything will have increased in price consideranbly.

When the tax changes kick in will the merchants increase the relevant prices by more than the increase in duty?

#38

Poor old Port, it seems there is never a good news story for it

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#39

And if you take into account a lack of inflation indexing, that make the 3p reduction worth considerably more to the big breweries. Generous donations to the Tory’s election war chest might be in order.

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#40

As they keep saying in the media “The Devil is in the detail!”

1 Like