Beer: Excise Duties
The question
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she has made an assessment of the impact of reducing beer duty by 5% across (a) draught, (b) packaged and (c) lower-strength beer on (i) growth and (ii) investment in the sector.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson
At Autumn Budget 2025 the Chancellor confirmed that alcohol duty will be uprated by Retail Price Index (RPI) on 1 February 2026 to main its current real-terms value.
The government considers uprating to be a prudent decision for the public finances that balances the important contribution of alcohol producers, pubs and the wider hospitality sector, with the tax’s role in supporting public health.
The Chancellor heard a range of perspectives ahead of the Budget, including from beer producers, and considered the impact of alcohol duty rates on all affected groups. An assessment of these impacts is published within the Tax Impact and Information Note (TIIN), available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alcohol-duty-rates-change/alcohol-duty-uprating#summary-of-impacts
Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →