Clause 2 - Rates of duty on cider
Finance Bill
12:00 pm
Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch, Conservative)
Conservative members of the Committee certainly welcome the reduction. I should be grateful if the Financial Secretary would explain where the reduction fits into the concern that the Government express about under-age and binge drinking. Jean Coussins, director of the Portman Group—a highly respected body that works closely with the Government to try to reduce binge drinking—said:
''All major research studies have shown that the most popular drinks amongst regular underage drinkers are traditional beers, ciders and lagers''.
For cider with a strength of more than 8.5 per cent., the duty paid on a 275 ml bottle—about half a pint—is some 10.6p. For ciders with a strength of less than that, duty is significantly less. In any event, the duties are much lower than the proposed duties for so-called ''spirit coolers'', which we shall address in clause 3. One justification that the Government have offered for the changes in duties on spirit coolers is the evidence of the proliferation of under-age and binge drinking. Can the Minister explain the link between that and the rationale to reduce the rate of duty on cider, which, according the Portman Group, is a beverage more traditionally consumed by young people.