Clive Efford MP
Clive posted his message in the handcrafted barrel, specially made by Yorkshire brewer Theakston’s, alongside almost 50 other MPs to add their voice to the campaign.
Beer tax in the UK remains far higher than that neighbouring European countries. In Germany, for example, the rate of tax on beer is some thirteen times lower than here in the UK. British beer drinkers pay almost 40 per cent of all the beer tax in the EU despite only drinking 12% of the beer. Brewing and pubs make a massive contribution to the UK economy. As a sector it supports almost 900,000 jobs across the country and contributes £22bn to UK GDP.
Beer tax cuts are also popular with the public – a recent YouGov poll for the BBPA shows that 72 per cent support with a cut or freeze in beer duty in the Budget.
Clive Efford commented: “Too many local community pubs are threatened with closure. Cutting beer duty is the most direct, targeted way of helping pubs.”