UK: Petition against beer duty escalator reaches the 100,00 signature mark

A petition urging the UK government to re-think its policy on beer tax has reached the 100,000 signature mark and is expected to prompt a Parliamentary debate on the issue, BBPA reported.

The online 'Stop the Beer Duty Escalator' petition received its 100,000th signature on September, 20. Campaigners, including the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), are aiming to force the government to scrap the escalator, which means duty is raised 2% above inflation once a year to 2014-15.

The policy was introduced in 2008 by the then Labour government. Since then, beer duty has risen by 42%, including additional hikes to the escalator.

Brigid Simmonds, the BBPA's chief executive, said: “This should be a real wake-up call for the government. I hope even more people will now sign, as further huge annual tax hikes must not go ahead."

The BBPA is understood to be confident the petition will trigger a full debate in Parliament among MPs. Under the e-petition system, petitions that get 100,000 signatures will be "considered for debate" in Parliament.

If a debate happens, the trade group will then lobby MPs to encourage as many as possible to attend.

21 September, 2012