Ailing ale tax plunges pounds 17m; yourmoney.Byline: CLINTON MANNING FALLING beer sales have given the Government a pounds 17million hangover. That's how much less the Treasury got from ale duty in January and February alone, say industry figures. And as the recession dents drinkers' thirsts, that figure is set to grow. The British Beer and Pub Association says we downed 1.7million fewer pints between January and March compared with the same time last year. Along with bars and restaurants, already-ailing pubs saw sales slump 6.3% year-on-year. But supermarkets and off-licences are being hit even harder, with sales down 11% since January. That is despite cheap booze Booze sold cheap whiskey in a log-cabin bottle. [Am. Hist.: Espy, 152–153] See : Drunkenness deals which landlords claim are killing off pubs, and shows where Brits are economising. The BBPA BBPA British Beer & Pub Association (now the Brewers and Licensed Retailers Association) BBPA Black Business and Professional Association BBPA Broad-Band Power Amplifier BBPA Baseband Pulse Antenna has slammed the Government for continuing to ramp up Ramp Up To increase a company's operations in anticipation of increased demand. Notes: A company might 'ramp up' operations if they just signed a contract creating substantially more demand for their product. See also: Demand, Economies of Scale beer tax. That rose 18% from January to March, with another 2% rise above inflation in each of the next four years announced in last week's Budget. David Long, head of the trade body, said: "A fall in beer sales means more publicans struggling to keep their doors open. Closing pubs means tens of thousands of job losses and the heart taken out of many communities." |
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