The next Budget will be held on 27 October, along with the 2021 Spending Review. Both present an opportunity for the Chancellor to reduce alcohol harm and improve support available to people who are dependent on alcohol.
We are calling on the Chancellor to increase alcohol duty by 2% above inflation in this Budget.
While we await the outcome of the ongoing review of alcohol duty (to which we have already submitted evidencei), it is vital the Chancellor reverses years of real terms cuts to alcohol duty, which have lost £6.8bn in revenue since 2012, over a period when deaths rose dramatically.
A freeze on alcohol duty is, in effect, a real terms cut. Freezing or cutting duty in this Budget would:
Increasing alcohol duty would maintain or increase revenue and:
The public welcome increasing alcohol duty: 40% want an increase compared to just 14% who want a cut. 56% support an increase if the revenue is used to fund the NHS and police.
It’s time for everybody to play their part in the national recovery and rebuilding. We need the businesses who have seen increased profits throughout the pandemic (like large alcohol producers and supermarkets) to help bear the cost of alcohol harm.
It’s time for everybody to play their part in the national recovery and rebuilding. We need the businesses who have seen increased profits throughout the pandemic (like large alcohol producers and supermarkets) to help bear the cost of alcohol harm.
As well as publishing the autumn Budget, this month the Chancellor will conclude the 2021 Spending Review; setting the budgets for government departments from 2022-23 to 2024-25, plus the devolved administrations’ block grants.
In a joint submission with our partners (Collective Voice, NHS Addiction Providers Alliance, Alcohol Health Alliance and Adfam), we are calling on the government to use the Spending Review to:
It doesn't end here. Support our continuing work to improve the duty system and reduce serious alcohol harm.
