British chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt announced last week that the government would freeze taxes on alcohol until at least summer of 2024. “I have listened to defenders of the great British pint, and I have decided to freeze all alcohol duty until August next year”, he said during his fall budget statement.
The announcement will stop a planned $0.04 increase in tax on an average pint of beer. The British government revamped alcohol taxes in August resulting in the largest tax increase in almost 50 years. The freeze will halt additional tax increases that were planned on top of the August increases.
Despite the freeze promised by Hunt, the recent increases will remain in place.
Unlike the U.S., the U.K. imposes tax on beer based on strength. For beer between 3.5% to 8.4% abv the tax is $26.80 for each liter of pure alcohol in the product.