Beer: Excise Duties
The question
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if the Government will extend the beer duty freeze for pubs.
Answered by James Murray
Pubs make an enormous contribution to our economy and society, and this is recognised in the tax system.
Beer producers benefitted from a freeze to alcohol duty from 1 February 2024 until 1 February 2025.
At the Autumn Budget, the Chancellor cut alcohol duty on qualifying draught products – approximately 60% of the alcoholic drinks sold in pubs. This represents an overall reduction in duty bills of over £85m a year and is equivalent to a 1p duty reduction on a typical pint. This reduction increased the relief available on draught products to 13.9%. This came into effect on 1 February 2025.
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