Elizabeth Holmes in Hook Norton Visitor Centre with the Axe the Tax pump clip

British drinkers face the biggest beer tax increases ever imposed says Hook Norton Managing Director James Clarke.

“Enough is enough. Our customers already pay nearly a third of the price of every pint to the taxman. And unless the Chancellor changes his mind beer tax is set to rise by an incredible 40 per cent over the next three years,” said James Clarke.

In addition to the 18 per cent increase in beer tax last year, the Government appear committed to punishing responsible pub-goers with a two per cent above inflation rise in beer tax year after year.

A decision to abandon this unfair, inflation-busting tax escalator and freeze beer tax are key remedies for preventing what has previously been described as a ‘bloodbath’ of pub closures across the land.

James Clarke said: “Community pubs are at the heart of countless communities across Britain. They are where people meet and socialise, and they promote responsible and sensible drinking.

“Yet with beer sales already falling, the scale of tax rises puts at risk these pubs.”

The Axe the Beer Tax – Save the Pub Campaign was launched in November 2008 by the British Beer & Pub Association, and CAMRA. For more information, please visit the campaign website at www.axethebeertax.com