Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department is making an assessment of the potential merits of equalising the duty between spirits and other alcohol categories.

As part of our alcohol duty review, the Government intends to move to a system where all products are taxed in reference to the litres of pure alcohol they contain. Above 8.5% ABV there is to be no differentiation between product categories, providing a more level playing field between spirits and other products. This will end the position where higher strength wines and beers pay less duty per unit than spirits.