§ Mr. Crawfordasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his current estimate of the once-for-all cost to the Government of changing the point at which duty is paid by whisky companies from the time when whisky comes out of bond to when it is retailed.
§ Mr. Robert SheldonThe loss to the Exchequer in the first year of the change would be around £150 million if the duty on all spirits was paid at the time of retail sale and not as now, on delivery from bonded warehouse. EEC obligations would rule out differential treatment of whisky and other spirits in respect of time of duty payment.