Brewers are falsely blaming beer tax for the increase in their prices, according to Forum of Private Business
The Forum of Private Business is challenging the claims that the increase in the price of beer is due solely to the beer tax.
Wide coverage on Facebook, who have been criticised as a result for targeting minors below the drinking age with a campaign to reduce beer tax, indicated that the tax is behind the increases.
The Forum has however drawn on comparisons between the rise in the beer tax and the rise in the cost of Carling to Punch pubs, which clearly demonstrates that the beer prices have risen at a much faster rate than the beer tax in isolation.
Since 2001 the list price from Punch has more than doubled, yet the beer tax has increased by just 60%. In 2001 the beer tax accounted for around 25% of the overall cost, whilst it now accounts for less than 20%.
Dave Mountford, speaking on behalf of the Forum commented, “The recent coverage on Facebook has been highly misleading in implying that beer price rises are little to do with the brewers themselves putting up prices. Blaming the beer tax for this is completely wrong, and Facebook should be lobbying for the brewers to reduce their prices just as much as the government to relax the beer tax.”