§ Mr. Parryasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish in the Official Report details of the duty imposed on beer in each of the European Economic Community countries and show how these figures compared with the United Kingdom.
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§ Mr. Peter ReesThe different methods of charging duty on beer in European Community countries makes direct comparisons difficult. The most accurate information available is as follows:
Duty* Belgium 1.8 Denmark 11.7 France 0.5 Germany 1.4 Ireland 19.8 Italy 1.3 Luxembourg 1.3 Netherlands 1.9 United Kingdom 12.6 * Pence per pint at 1,037 Original Gravity. Exchange rates as at 21 May 1981. Comparable figures for Greece are not available.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much duty has been imposed on a pint of beer since May 1979; and what increase this is as a percentage of total duty;
(2) if he will publish in the Official Report the increase in the price of a pint of beer since May 1979, indicating how much of the increase was due to manufacturers' increases, and how much was due to increases in taxation.
§ Mr. Peter ReesThe typical price of a pint of beer has increased by about 15p. Of this amount about 6p is due to manufacturers' increases and other factors which are unrelated to taxation, 5p is due to duty increases and 4p represents increased VAT. Most of the increase in the amount of VAT is due to the change in rate but part results from the increase in the price. The rate of beer duty has increased by 69 per cent. over this period.