Alcoholic Drinks: Excise Duties
(asked on 28th May 2015) - View Source
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect the freeze and reduction in alcohol excise duties will have on the targets to reduce alcohol consumption set in the Responsibility Deal.
The previous Government’s alcohol strategy in 2012, set an ambition to reduce the number of adults drinking above the National Health Service guidelines. The percentage of adults self-reporting drinking above the guidelines fell from 21% in 2010 to 19% in 2013 (Health Survey for England).
Under the previous Government, industry committed through the Responsibility Deal Alcohol Network voluntarily to remove 1 billion units of alcohol from people’s drinks by reducing the average strength of drinks. Reducing the strength of alcohol in people’s drinks is expected to contribute to reducing alcohol consumption and harm.
The effect of alcohol duty changes on alcohol consumption is referred to in the policy costing note on alcohol duties published at Budget 2015.
The policy costing note outlines HM Treasury’s calculations for changes in consumption following this year’s Budget changes to duty rates, including a behavioural adjustment costing, as a result in changes in consumption of alcohol in response to a price reduction.
More details on the policy costing note on alcohol duties are attached and available on the gov.uk website at:
The health impact assessment of the effect cutting of alcohol duty changes on alcohol consumption is referred to in the Overview of Tax Legislation and rates document.
More detail on the impacts of the changes to alcohol duty is attached and available in the Overview of Tax Legislation and rates document:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/418689/OOTLAR_v8.1.pdf