Alun Cairns backs campaign urging Rishi Sunak to cut duty for draught beer
Alun Cairns has backed a campaign urging Rishi Sunak to cut duty for draught beer.
The Tory MP for the Vale of Glamorgan, and former Welsh Secretary, joined with over a 100 Conservative backbench MPs in asking the Chancellor to to do more to support pubs and clubs at next week’s budget.
In a letter to Sunak, they have called on him to maintain a freeze on alcohol duties when he delivers his budget on Wednesday, as well as urge him to introduce a cut in duty for draught beer.
The letter says: “A lower beer duty on draught sales in pubs, clubs and bars, compared to off sales in supermarkets, would be a huge boost to their ability to prosper and rebuild from COVID-19.
“Moreover, it would be easy to understand, simple to administer, and importantly, demonstrate this government’s clear commitment to Britain’s pubs.”
The campaign spearheaded by North West Durham MP Richard Holden and is being supported by former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and ex-cabinet minister and Karen Bradley.
‘Lost tax’
Their letter acknowledges that a freeze on alcohol duties would mean that the UK Treasury loses around £300m in lost tax receipts and that this would lead to either higher taxes or lower spending elsewhere, or more borrowing.
However they argued that it would be a “worthwhile trade-off” that would help pubs, clubs and brewers “thrive and survive” after the Covid-19 pandemic.
They also called for wider review of alcohol duties to “consider wider reform and simplification of our alcohol duties system”. They described the current system as “complex at best” and “nonsensical at worst”.
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All the Westminster government needs to do is up the tax on un earned income, investments, why should people who have full-time jobs and still have to claim benefits to survive have their income taxed, while a certain few can earn thousands from tenants rent, stocks and shares and keep getting breaks
When is this little squirt going to back a campaign to cut Air Passenger Duty in Cardiff. The above beer campaign would result in a loss of 300million in tax, whereas if he supported a cut in APD in Cardiff it would generate revenue. But the beer campaign is proposed by the N/W Durham Tory MP, so the A**E licking rule, must be observed by Cairns
Looking at Cairns history, I wonder who has been paying him to say that the dodgy little f.
Has Cairns just secured another little earner from a company running a chain of pubs ? Follow the money is a good rule when seeking out Cairns’ motives with anything.
How about allowing Wales to cut Air Passenger Duty which would be an economic boost to your own constituents. Ah but Bristol comes first.
Well you’d have to be pxxxxssed t vote Tory.
Likes his tipple does our Alun.
Why are the tories so convinced that the only thing the working class care about is the price of a pint?
Is Tory toddler Alun Cairns old enough to drink in the question.
Stopped or tried to sabotage any rape trials lately