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Richard Siddle: how we can all play our part and Call Time on Duty

Published:  13 January, 2014

Come the end of the second week of January you have probably had your fill of end of year reviews and predictions for 2014. But if you have not already can I urge you to check out the series of 2 Good, 2 Bad memories for 2013 and 2 Hopes and Fears we ran from a number of key trade figures on Harpers.co.uk during the festive period (see related articles).

 

 

Come the end of the second week of January you have probably had your fill of end of year reviews and predictions for 2014. But if you have not already can I urge you to check out the series of 2 Good, 2 Bad memories for 2013 and 2 Hopes and Fears we ran from a number of key trade figures on Harpers.co.uk during the festive period (see related articles). 

Strikingly nearly all those who took part cited the continued use of the duty escalator as their biggest fear for 2014 and the wish it could be scrapped as their biggest hope.

Well if the WSTA-led Call Time On Duty campaign, which makes the economic and consumer case for halting the escalator in the 2014 budget, is a success their dreams might come true. But hoping is one thing, doing something about is another.

The Call Time On Duty campaign has a real chance of success if the trade really gets behind it by not only personally lobbying their local MP, but also urging their customers to do so and make a stand against the high level of taxes they're having to pay just to buy an average bottle of wine or spirits.

It also, crucially, for the first time reveals the real economic impact the duty escalator is having on the profitability and viability of one of the UK's most successful industries. Specially commissioned research by the WSTA shows that if the duty escalator was scrapped in the 2014 budget it would generate an extra £230 million revenue for the Treasury and create 6,000 jobs.

The kind of hard facts the industry has not had before to back up what could be seen in the past as self-seeking calls for the government to give it a break on duty.

It also vitally arms economic commentators in the national media with key arguments to put to the Chancellor.

This is a vital time for the sector. Sit back and do nothing and it is inevitable that the duty escalator will once again be implemented by the Chancellor in this year's budget. Stand up, speak out, galvanise your customers, your local and regional media and make sure your MP is armed with the facts then there is a chance the political and public debate will get the Chancellor to change to his mind.

This week Harpers is urging everyone in the trade to put their name to the open letter the WSTA has put together that sets out the damage the duty escalator is doing to the economic viability of one of the UK's most successful industries and the benefits scrapping it would bring to the Treasury. So go to the open letter by clicking here and send it to your local MP calling on them to give their support to a local business in their constituency.

Equally we will be giving producers concerned about the high cost of selling their wine in the UK the chance to voice their concerns and effectively tell the Chancellor that they will "call time on the UK" and sell their wine in more profitable countries if not more is done to introduce a fairer tax liability on wine and spirits in the UK, in line with what the Chancellor has already done with beer in last year's budget. An open letter for producers to put their voice to will be available on Harpers.co.uk shortly.

So let's not miss this opportunity and go in to 2014 all guns blazing and do our individual and collective parts to Call Time on Duty.

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