Within the manifesto, the WSTA is calling for all parties to support a 2% cut in alcohol duty in the 2015 Budget – coinciding with the pan-industry ‘Drop the Duty’ campaign – and to reverse the year-on-year alcohol duty increases in the next Parliament.
The association claims wines and spirits are vital to the survival of the pub trade, contributing over £10bn a year to the sector – 42% of the value of what it sold on the on-trade.
It also called on any future government to continue to appoint a Pubs Minister and continue a “collaborative approach to working with the trade”.
Other policy proposals include:
- Promote wines and spirits as a UK Trade and Investment priority and commit to stocking English wine and British spirits at Government receptions
- Continue the partnership approach between Government and industry to tackle issues around alcohol related harm, which has proven highly effective
- Stop further unnecessary licensing changes, which are costly to businesses
- Make alcohol awareness education a compulsory part of the national curriculum and support industry efforts to raise consumer awareness
WSTA chief executive Miles Beale said: “We believe that the policies suggested will help create a future for our industry that allows it to be globally competitive and to increase its contribution to the UK’s public finances, growth and job creation.
“The principle of partnership and self-regulation runs through all aspects of what the WSTA aims to achieve. We want to remain a committed partner in the policy-making process and the policies within this manifesto have been developed in this view, for the benefit of consumers and the wider economy”.