Save your pint -sign the petition

The Government now take a third of your pint of beer in tax, according to CAMRA, who have launched a new website and campaign in order to get more people to sign up to the e-petition to halt the beer duty escalator.

The duty escalator is applied in an already shrinking market, hardly a good idea in a recession, or at any other time.

The escalator has seen beer duty increase by 42% since 2008 including a rise of 5% in last month’s budget.

Securing 100,000 signatures for this e-petition is a key aspect of the ongoing campaign to lobby the Government for the escalator to be abolished.

The e-petition needs 100,000 signatures in order to trigger a high profile Parliamentary debate which will put pressure on the Government to abandon the beer duty escalator in the 2013 Budget.

The Save the Pint Campaign is also backed by beermats and posters - click here to order them for your local - good to see beermats being used for this as most publicans I know are only too glad to have some. Apart from the ones made by the local rozzers that is.

Government to increase tax on strong beers

The Nanny State is still there and it did not go away in the General Election.

The responsible drinker is once again seen as the cash-cow of the Government, there to be forcibly milked to fund Clubbers until 3 in the morning.
This time the Government have set their greedy little eyes on increasing duty on beers over 7.5% ABV. Now I doubt if this will effect the Special Brew swigging brigade who inhabit our City Centers but it will hit a small but crucial part of the market - the craft beer scene.
Former Champion Beer of Wales, Otley O8 weighs in at a hefty 8% and is a really powerful, golden hoppy ale. From next year it will be more expensive as we have to fund the bailout to Ireland.
The Tesco American Double IPA, brewed by Brewdog (pictured left) is another fantastic beer. There is a chance that this increase in duty will put off our breweries from producing such innovative and tasty beers in the future. How is that good for the consumer or even for the Government coffers?
This duty raise will also effect imported beers - those wonderful American IPAs and Belgium Trappist beers will become more expensive because of this change in taxation.
As well as the increase in duty, the Treasury have announced a reduced rate of duty for beers below 2.8% ABV. Now I've never tried the Brewdog Nanny State at 1.1% but there were mixed reviews over that.
I have had the misfortune to try Weltons Pride n joy, a 2.8% beer that tasted so bad I, and others thought it was infected at the time. It was not, as lab analysis turned out to reveal but just tasted that bad.
It's all very well announcing a cut in beer duty for beers below 2.8% ABV, but who is going to drink them when they taste so bad?

HM Treasury Alcohol Tax Review is available as a pdf to download here.

Community pubs facing tax bombshell

From the Conservatives on what Colostomy Brown has planned for our pubs:

Community pubs facing tax bombshell

Shadow Housing Minister Grant Shapps has warned of a ‘tax bombshell’ faced by community pubs this April.
New research by the Conservatives reveals that Gordon Brown’s tax inspectors are hiking up business rates for local pubs across country. Friendly community pubs with darts and pool tables face the biggest threat.
This comes as figures show that a net 3,690 local pubs have closed under Labour, according to official records held by tax inspectors.
"Gordon Brown has pushed local community pubs to the wall", Shapps said, pointing out that at the same time Labour has ignored "the binge-drinking dens that have wrecked our town centres and fuelled violent crime".

The three key elements of the tax bombshell are:

• New tax hikes on local pubs: New analysis of Government figures slipped out before Christmas has revealed that pubs, pub restaurants, wine bars, wineries and coaching inns face above-inflation hikes in their Rateable Values – and thus their tax bills. This will be top of Brown’s above-inflation rises in alcohol duty imposed in the Budget.
• Stealth tax on pub sports: According to the tax inspectors’ guidance, features such as a pool room, skittles alley, bowling green, children's play area and darts have been targeted. The clipboard-wielding inspectors have secretly toured pubs, recording "pool, darts or football teams playing in leagues". Pubs showing sport will not escape, as Sky Sports will be taxed extra, Ministers have admitted.
• Stealth tax on nice pubs: The tax manuals tell the state snoopers to take photographs inside and outside the pub, and record "Does the pub appear friendly and popular?". Factors being logged include good beer cellars/stores (thus taxing real ale), "rare and unspoilt pubs", and beer gardens (taxing those which have ducked the smoking ban).

"Not content with a council tax revaluation to tax people’s home improvements and scenic views, Gordon Brown also wants to hammer the nice local pub with higher local taxes", Shapps said. "Only Conservatives will stand up for the local community pub".

Now here at Brew Wales we are non-political, as the editor has not been a member of any political party in the last 15 years. However when we have a Government hell bent on destroying the pub and beer industry as the one run by Colostomy Brown we will quite happily print press releases from other parties critcising the shambles we have have in power at the moment.

Nanny State to Force more Pubs to Close

Government plans to save the pub with more bureaucracy!

This week the British Beer & Pub Association realised figures that 52 pubs are closing every week. The reasons for the closures are varied but include the recession and record tax rises, courtesy of the unelected teetotal Son of the Manse who presides over the country in the style of Stalin.

So what have the Government announced this week to help the industry? Plans to introduce a “mandatory code” for the drinks industry at an estimated cost of £58million for the first year and £38million in subsequent years. Just what an industry needs, more bureaucracy from this Government which has attempted to regulate, control and spy on our lives in ways that would make the totalitarian regime of Honecker in the former East Germany hang its head in shame. Of course the Home Office say the code is needed to tackle anti-social disorder, but then why should the majority of pub-goers and publicans have to pay for the actions of the few?

The mandatory code is currently passing through Parliament as part of the Policing and Crime Bill. Another Law and Order bill by this authoritarian government.

This proposed law is waited against the on-trade, i.e., licensed pubs and clubs, with 4 out of the 6 national conditions in the code aimed at the on-trade, whilst 15 out of 16 of the local conditions that can be imposed by councils relate to pubs and clubs. For some reason, the Government is ignoring the problem with cheap supermarket alcohol. Are the supermarkets just better at lobbying the Government for legislation in their favour than the pub industry? The answer to that is yes.

Outlaw the Happy Hour?

One of the proposals of the Nanny state is to ban the happy hour. Hardly surprising coming from a leader who has never cracked a joke in his life. Although he did smile on during his press conference on TV earlier this week when lying about helicopter deployments in Afghanistan. The Clunking Fist has clearly lost the plot. Other proposals in this 'consultation document' would be to outlaw promotions such as, 'all you can drink for £10'. At the moment the police and local authorities via their licensing departments have the power to stop these. However they very rarely choose not to. The last thing the pub industry needs is more legislation.

We already have the plastic pint in areas where the senior police officer believe that responsible drinkers need to be served in polycarbonates. In an average city centre you could buy anything from cocaine to LSD on a Friday night, but the police only have the resources and the inclination to stop responsible drinkers from enjoying themselves.

Other proposals will force pubs to offer smaller wine and spirit measures and display point of sale information on alcohol units. The Government admitted earlier this year that the 'unit' measure of alcohol was made up – now they want our pubs to publicise this as a 'fact'. Newspeak in action.

HMG get your figures correct

The Government claims this code is needed as, in their words 'Alcohol is a key contributor to crime and disorder, which costs the country between £8-£13 billion every year'. Not sure where they got those figures from, probably via one of their fake charities such as Alcohol Concern. A discrepancy of £5 billion is a lot and throws doubt into the validity of their sums. However a fact, according to the House of Commons Library is that the alcohol industry contributes £14.79 billion to the economy every year. So the supposed cost to the country is more than paid for by the contribution made by the industry. This industry does not need more regulation, that will result in more pub closures. This is an idiotic piece of legislation that will only result in more pub closures, more job losses and subsequent loss of revenue for the Government. Unfortunately the unelected, monocular, teetotal Son of the Manse is too stupid to realise this.

The voters of Norwich have today given this Government a bloody nose, so now it's the turn of the drinkers of Britain to tell the Teetotal Jockocracy that is ruining our country where to go and please respond to this Government consultation below:

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/cons-2009-alcohol/

where you can also download the consultation itself. Alternatively you can visit the Axe the Beer Tax Campaign and leave your response there.

UK has 3rd highest beer tax in Europe

British pay nine times more beer duty than Germans and seven times more than French

Graph and data from the British Beer & Pub Association.

The Axe the Tax Campaign – launched by the British Beer & Pub Association and the Campaign for Real Ale at the end of last year – is calling on the Government to reduce tax on beer, with six pubs closing every day. More than 70,000 people have joined or supported the campaign, including over 200 MPs.
Alcohol duty was increased by 2 per cent above inflation in the Budget last month following a massive 18 per cent increase in 2008. This year’s Budget increase is being debated in Parliament as part of the Finance Bill.
Commenting on the figures, David Long, the BBPA’s Chief Executive said
“These figures show that British beer drinkers are being taxed at rates far in excess of most of their European counterparts.
“The result is that pub closures are now running at six a day, with thousands of jobs being lost in the British beer and pub industry. A great British institution is under serious threat and yet the Government appears to be determined to ignore concerns expressed by consumers, the industry and politicians of all parties.”
“With elections to the European Parliament taking place next week, beer lovers will note the extent to which they are being taxed above and beyond other consumers in the rest of the EU.
“We hope that those MEPs elected as a result of these elections will stand up for British beer lovers and the great British pub.

Pence per pint, April 09
Finland	61.74
Ireland	51.99
UK	45.89
Sweden	43.15
Denmark	19.42
Slovenia	17.95
Netherlands	17.08
Italy	14.76
Estonia	12.88
Austria	12.56
Cyprus	12.51
Hungary	11.12
Belgium	10.74
Slovakia	10.36
Poland	9.46
Portugal	9.05
Greece	8.54
France	6.91
Lithuania	6.44
Spain	5.71
Czech	5.55
Latvia	5.35
Luxembourg	4.98
Germany	4.94
Bulgaria	4.82
Malta	4.71
Romania	4.15

Well, it seems the teetotal Prime Mentalist is hell bent on completing the plan of his bible-bashing anti-alcohol father and close as many pubs as possible. Since Labour have come to power in 1997, over 6000 pubs have closed, with the current rate of 6 pubs a day shutting and a new survey out today shows one of the reasons why; in the UK we have the third highest beer tax in Europe. Something that my local Member of Parliament Jessica Morden continually fails to understand. Still when you are a New Labour apparatchik anything will do so long as the Party line is taken.

From the graph above a direct correlation can be made between the sharp drop in pub numbers and hike in beer duty imposed by this government in the last few years. I know which party will NOT be getting my vote in the elections on Thursday.

Monmouthshire MP "Pub is essential part of the community"

Some News from Monmouthshire MP and Parliamentary Skipping Champion David Davies

MP in save the British Pub Plea

Monmouth MP David Davies has come out in support of the save the British pub campaign. The movement to help the struggling pub industry survive the recession is running an “Axe the Beer Tax” campaign aimed at helping Pub landlords compete with the supermarkets on a more even footing. At present a third of the price of every pint pulled in Britain’s pubs goes straight into the Government’s coffers.

The campaign also calls on the Government to save pubs and safeguard jobs by cutting tax on low alcohol beer and cider, paid for by increasing tax on problem drinks, principally high strength Lagers, Ciders and Alcopops. This would target binge drinkers but ensure that responsible drinkers and traditional pubs are not penalised.

David says” I fully support the campaign to save the British Pub. I believe the pub is an essential part of the community just like the village shop or post office. This is especially true in rural areas like Monmouthshire”

“In the last three years seventeen Monmouthshire pubs have closed their doors for ever, I believe there are many more struggling to survive. Pub Landlords are being assailed from all sides, high rents, high business rates, high taxes coupled with the economic crises are driving their takings down”

“If the government can be persuaded to ease the tax burden it will be a great boost to the pub trade. Monmouth has many wonderful pubs, I’m determined to do all I can to ensure they survive and prosper”

Six out of ten MPs oppose plans to increase Beer Tax in next week’s Budget

From a press release by Axe the Beer Tax:

From Brew Wales

Chancellor Alistair Darling will be defying the majority of MPs if he goes ahead with tax rises on beer in next week’s budget, according to a poll published today.

Fifty nine per cent of MPs want the Treasury to axe its plans to increase Beer Tax - and, with pubs closing at a record rate of nearly six a day, sixty one per cent of MPs want government action to support the pub as part of local communities.

The poll of MPs was released today a week ahead of the budget by the ‘Axe the Beer Tax - Save the Pub’ campaign, which is spearheaded by the British Beer and Pub Association and CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale.

• ComRes poll shows 59% of all MPs oppose Chancellor’s plans to increase Beer Tax in next week’s Budget
• 41% of all Labour Backbench MPs oppose Beer Tax increase
• 61% of MPs want Government action to support the pub as part of local communities

More than 202 MPs, including 97 Labour backbenchers, have already signed a Parliamentary Motion (EDM 10) supporting the campaign after 25,000 members of the public emailed their MP. In a ComRes poll published last month, 70% of the public said they did not believe that an increase in Beer Tax above inflation was justified in current circumstances.

Jonathan Neame, chief executive of brewer Shepherd Neame, told a Westminster press conference:

‘This poll shows the Chancellor will be over-riding the majority of the Commons if he increases beer tax – as well as the majority of voters and consumers.

‘The economic facts have changed dramatically for the worse since he announced last spring his intention to increase beer tax above inflation year by year. The case for beer tax increases – which we always contested – has been swept away by the recession. The beer and pubs trade has suffered one of its worst years ever.

‘Our message to the Chancellor is – don’t kick this great traditional industry when it is down. When the facts change, change your mind. And rarely have the economic facts changed so fast.’

Mike Benner, chief executive of CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale), said:

‘It is clear that the majority of MPs are in the same place as the majority of consumers – they don’t want further damage done to pubs by further tax increases.

‘We are not asking for special favours, only for a reprieve from an unnecessary and unjustifiable tax rise.

‘The Chancellor needs to recognise the scale of the threat to the traditional pub as more and more close with every month of recession.’

The poll by ComRes shows that MPs agree by a margin of 6-1 that the government should take action to support the British pub as a vital part of social life in communities.

Dr Richard Muir, senior research fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research, and author of a recent study of community pubs, ‘The Social Value of Community Pubs’, said:

‘MPs realise that pubs are more than businesses, they have an important role to play in communities. The government should not under-estimate the value of what is lost to community life when the local pub closes.’

1. Key findings from the Com Res poll are:

• The majority of MPs (59%) say that government plans to increase the tax on a pint of beer over and above the rate of inflation are not justified, while 32% say that they are justified. The vast majority of Conservative MPs (91%) say that this planned increase is not justified, compared to 41% of Labour MPs and 75% of Liberal Democrats. However, that over four in ten Labour MPs effectively say that they oppose the proposals of their party on the issue of beer tax is worthy of note.
• The majority of MPs (83%) agree that the government should enforce existing laws to deal firmly with irresponsible drinkers and premises before introducing new ones. Only 5% of MPs disagree with this statement.
• A similar proportion of MPs (84%) agree that the government should take action to end irresponsible drinks promotions by alcohol retailers, with just 9% saying that they disagree. Labour MPs (93%) are considerably more likely to agree that the government should take action to end irresponsible drinks promotions by alcohol retailers than their Conservative counterparts (66%).
• More than half of MPs (54%) agree that the government should trust adults to make informed choices about what they drink, not penalise them for the actions of an irresponsible minority, while 21% disagree with this statement. Again, a party split is evident, where considerably more Conservative MPs (81%) agree that the government should trust adults to make informed choices about what they drink, not penalise them for the actions of an irresponsible minority than Labour MPs (43%).
• The majority of MPs (61%) agree that the government should take action to support the British pub as a vital part of social life in local communities. Just 11% disagree with this statement. Conservative MPs appear to have a more positive and favourable opinion of British pubs than their Labour and Liberal Democrat counterparts, with 76% agreeing that the government should take action to support the British pub as a vital part of social life in local communities, compared to 55% of Labour MPs and 65% of Lib Dems who say the same.

Methodology

ComRes surveyed 150 MPs on the ComRes parliamentary panel between 23rd February

and 13th March 2008 by self-completion postal questionnaire. Data were weighted to

reflect the exact composition of the House of Commons in terms of party representation

and regional constituency distribution. ComRes is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules (www.britishpollingcouncil.org).

Previous polling on this issue

A ComRes poll published on 3^rd March 2009 showed that 70% of the public believe beer tax increases above inflation are not justified.

Previous publications

The IPPR paper, ‘The Social Value of Community Pubs’, was published on 31^st March 2009.

2. Key industry statistics:

· Britain’s pubs and brewers directly employ 600,000 people and support a further 550,000 jobs. The sector generates £28 billion in economic activity.

· Total beer sales are down 9 million pints a day since the peak of 1979. Beer sales in pubs are down 16 million pints a day over the same period, and are now at their lowest level since the Great Depression of the 1930s – despite a 36 per cent increase in the UK population.

· Pub closures have continued to accelerate, with an unprecedented 2,000 closures in the last 12 months. This means that 39 pubs are closing a week or six every day. 20,000 jobs have been lost across the sector in the last year, with a further 59,000 projected to be lost in the next five years (Oxford Economics).

· In November 2008, the Government increased beer tax for the second time in nine months - a 17.8 per cent rise in total during 2008 placing an additional £520 million cost increase on the sector.

3. The Axe the Beer Tax - Save the Pub Campaign was launched in November by the British Beer & Pub Association, and beer consumer champion, CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale. For more information, please visit the campaign website at www.axethebeertax.com.

Mr Pinty goes to parliament

The Axe the Beer Tax campaign hit Westminster today with Mr Pinty and friends marching on Whitehall. All very well during Cask Ale Week, but Members of Parliament are on holiday because of Easter Recess! More chance of finding a MPs partner not watching porn paid for by the taxpayer than finding a MP in the House during recess, unless of course they have decided to use their offices for a 'quick one'. Perhaps it's not a good idea to go into Parliament at the moment, who knows what the MPs are getting up behind closed doors.

Have heard that the rent boys around Westminster have all changed their name to 'John Lewis' to enable Lib Dem MPs to claim them on expenses!

Budget coming up again

It will soon be Budget time again, when the banned from pubs Badger-haired lackey of the teetotal one-eyed idiot gets the chance to Save the British Pub, that's if they are not too busy both saving the world.
According to the British Beer & Pub Association, 2099 pubs have closed since the non-drinking Jockaracy that runs this country put up the tax on beer last year. The Temperance Movement would be proud of Darling and Brown, able to cause more damage to pubs and communities than anyone since the Luftwaffe.
Anyway our Friends at the Axe the Beer Tax campaign have done this little tax calculator for you all to see how much tax we are paying on pints.

The 5 demands of the Campaign are:

1. To stop plans to increase beer tax by up to a third
2. To enforce existing laws – not create new ones - to deal firmly with irresponsible drinkers and premises
3. To end the irresponsible promotion of alcohol in supermarkets, pubs and elsewhere
4. To trust responsible adults to make informed choices about what they drink, not punish them for the actions of an irresponsible minority
5. To support the British pub as a vital part of social life in local communities.

So what can you do to help?
Go onto the Axe the Beer Tax website, enter your postcode and lobby your MP.