Cut duty, raise revenue: the Scotch industry's pitch for the Autumn Budget

Ahead of next month's UK Autumn Budget, the Scotch Whisky Association has sent its submission to HM Treasury, and its message is short: cut duty, raise revenue, boost the nation.

The association's Chief Executive, Mark Kent, argues for three things. First, a cut in excise duty on spirits. Second, correcting the tax gap between spirits and other alcohol such as beer and cider, which he says has become more stark in recent years. Third, support for growth and investment in domestic production so the industry can serve export opportunities, with India, the US and China named as key markets.

Kent describes the current treatment of spirits duty as a super tax. The submission as published does not give specific duty rates or job figures, so it reads more as a statement of direction than a detailed costing.

Whatever you think about the politics, it is a useful reminder that the price on a bottle of whisky is only partly about the liquid inside. Taxes make up a large share of what people pay, and policy decisions made in a Budget speech can reach all the way to the bar shelf. I will be curious to see what actually appears in the Budget.

Source: Scotch Whisky Association