Pub trade set for Budget
Wednesday 24th March at 10:43 am
The pub trade waits with bated breath to discover whether Chancellor Alistair Darling has finally got the message on beer duty.
Darling: will he listen to the trade?
Darling will unveil his pre-election Budget at around 1230pm today and the pub trade will be hoping he has decided to scrap the controversial duty escalator, which will see duty rise 2% above inflation.
A recent poll, conducted by ComRes on behalf of the British Beer & Pub Association, revealed that two-thirds of the British public want the duty escalator scrapped.
The industry has pleaded for a rethink following duty hikes of nearly 20% over the past two years.
