Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, If he will make it his policy that a minimum 85 per cent juice threshold is required for a product to be taxed and sold as cider.
The Government understands that some cidermakers are interested in increasing the minimum juice content. However, others have raised concerns that this would disrupt business as usual for some cidermakers and may incentivise producers to import apples cheaply from overseas. It is therefore important we continue to explore different arguments before making any final decisions.
We are also engaging with brewers on the qualifying criteria for draught relief. While it is our intention for the relief to apply to a range of brewers, we must ensure that the relief remains targeted on pubs and other hospitality venues. This is to ensure that drinks benefiting from the relief are those used by venues rather than for personal use by consumers.
We are continuing to consult on these proposals and will provide further updates on the alcohol duty review in due course.