Should the chancellor reduce duty on alcohol?
Alcohol duty is charged on all production and importation of drinks over 1.2% ABV, with rates per litre of pure alcohol set by strength and type (e.g. £22.58 for most beer 3.5-8.4% ABV, £26.61 for wine/spirits in that range, £10.39 for most cider). Rates were last uprated by RPI inflation effective 1 February 2026 and apply uniformly to domestic and imported products, with lower rates for qualifying draught products sold in pubs. The chancellor sets these rates in the budget, currently scheduled for late October 2026.
7 Opinions
I think that would be a nice thing to do. Going to the pub is now an expensive night out. Haven't been in years.
Yes. Consumer taxes are an anti-poor tax by their very design, since they tend to price the bottom rungs of society out of consumption. Why would you desire to make it harder for the poorest to have a tipple?
Take a tax on profits over a margin from uk commercial suppliers and put extra tariff on imports. Proven addictive & harmful products should be capped for profits
I don't think a blanket relief on alcohol duty will do anything that people think it will. If we're proposing this from a "Save the Pubs" standpoint, pubs are crushed by business rates, pubco leases and energy bills, not baseline duty. If you want to help hospitality, expand targeted Draught Relief for on tap pints and overhaul commercial property taxes. That will save the pubs
If you reduced duty the income would need to be raised elsewhere. A reduced duty for on premises consumption by pubs and restaurants, paid for by an increased duty for imported alcohol could help British businesses whilst being cost neutral.
Yes, reduction of taxes is desired direction. Not sure if I would start with this one though.
No point in losing tax revenue on something that is objectively unhealthy. There are other ways to reduce inflation that don't encourage drinking.