Brewer welcomes Parliamentary debate on beer duty escalator
Leading Welsh brewer Simon Buckley has welcomed the Parliamentary debate calling on the Government to review its 'damaging' policy of the ‘beer duty escalator’. The debate will be on Thursday, November 1, and has been called by the Backbench Business Committee in response to the ‘Stop the Beer Duty Escalator’ e-petition ( www.camra.org.uk/saveyourpint ) which currently stands at more than 104,000 signatures. The escalator increases beer duty by 2% above inflation automatically every year and is making pub-going unaffordable. As a result, the pub industry is struggling and pubs are closing at an alarming rate of 12 every week in the UK. Mr Buckley, chief executive of the Llandeilo-based Evan-Evans brewery, said: “Enough is enough. The pub is widely recognised as one of the hubs of local community life. The Government must do more to support the pub industry. The beer escalator is damaging the pub and beer business." Carmarthen East and Dinefwr MP Jonathon Edwards plans to ...