WSTA launches campaign for duty escalator to be scrapped early

By Emily Kearns, Richard Siddle

Published: 25 September, 2013

The Wine & Spirit Trade Association is today starting a campaign to get the alcohol duty escalator scrapped a year early.

Miles Beale, chief executive of the WSTA, announced at its annual conference today that it is launching a "Be Fair George" campaign aimed at Chancellor George Osborne.

In it he hopes to not only galvanise the full support of the entire drinks industry and all its trade associations, but also constituency MPs and consumers through social media.

The campaign will focus on how unfair the current duty escalator has been not only on a drinks industry that contributes so positively to the economy, but on individual businesses and on already financially challenged consumers.

Beale said: "A united, responsive drinks industry is a force to be reckoned with."

He said the success the WSTA and the drinks industry had in stopping the introduction of a minimum unit of alcohol demonstrated how powerful it is when it comes together "united", armed with the facts, evidence and public support.

He said the WSTA was now in a position it deserves to be as the first port of call the government goes to when looking at alcohol policy.

The Home Secretary, Theresa May, he said, was committed to working in partnership with the drinks industry and in particular wanted to see more done to back and implement local drinks responsibility initiatives like the Community Alcohol Partnerships.

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