High drink tax ‘threatens jobs’

Alcohol taxes in the UK are among the highest in Europe, threatening jobs and leading to less booze being drunk, new figures showed today.

The average price of a pint in a pub has now broken through the £3 barrier for the first time, partly due to “huge” tax increases, said the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA).

The gap between alcohol taxes in the UK and other European countries grew last year, with those in this country eight times higher than in France and 11 times higher than in Germany, said the BBPA report.