Register to get 5 free articles
Reveal the article below by registering for our email newsletter.
Want unlimited access? View Plans
Already have an account? Sign in
Wine Drinkers UK (WDUK) has written an open letter to the chancellor calling for a reduction to the UK’s wine tax.
The group claims that wine has been singled out for excessive increases to wine duty, while other alcoholic beverages such as beer and spirits have seen successive duty freezes.
According to WDUK, the wine sector has “significant growth potential” that is being stunted by the 39% rise in wine duty since 2010.
In turn, the organisation has called upon the chancellor to “cut excise duty on wine and to extend the temporary hospitality VAT cut” to March 2022.
Moreover, the group suggested that “due to different consumption patterns” that result in “women drinking more wine than men”, women currently pay more duty on alcoholic drinks when compared to men.
It added that a cut to wine duty is the “most effective way of remedying this unfairness” of unequal tax levels.
WDUK also told the chancellor that the move could result in larger revenues for the Government in the long-run.
It said: “A lower tax regime would help many businesses survive the continued economic impact of Covid-19, to grow in the future, and to contribute to the local economy.”
