Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward a reduction in the duty on beer.

Consumers, local pubs and breweries have benefitted significantly from freezes and cuts to beer and other alcohol duties in recent years. After the cuts and freezes we have made to beer duty since 2013, the average tax in 2018 on a typical pint of beer is expected to be 12p lower than it would otherwise have been.

However this comes at significant cost to the Exchequer. Since 2013/14, cuts and freezes to alcohol duties have cost approximately £4 billion.

This is equivalent to over 100,000 teachers’ yearly salaries.