Beer Tax Update

I anticipate this being a bit of a low-blogging week, and as evidence, I offer this brief post with two items on beer taxes. First, from Forbes, evidence that high taxes in Britain are damaging pub sales.

"Tax rates in the U.K. suck an awful lot out of the pub sector," said Hastings, who believes that pub closures and beer duty are connected. "Over the last 12 months, beer tax increases have taken an additional 600 million pounds ($984.5 million) out of the sector. It goes to show the scale of the money not being spent on marketing, improving pub quality and competitiveness."

The increased beer duty and the collapse of the British pub trade also bodes ill for Britain’s tourism trade. "Around the world, the British pub is regarded as a unique institution. It’s just one of the reasons people flood to Britain every year," said Hastings. "If we were in any other country in Europe, their governments would be doing all they can to furnish these institutions."

One of Beervana's signature qualities is, of course, our density of wonderful pubs. Which brings us to rumors that Ben Cannon's beer tax proposal may be back on the table in Salem.

The capitol is a buzz with talk of the beer tax making a late crash to the Legislative party. The Beer tax supporters are pushing a round of lobby calls to push through a master beer tax compromise. While under the emergency speed session rule, ordinary citizens may not know what this is until it hits.

(Though it should be noted that Cannon's updated proposal is likely to be a whole lot more reasonable than his first version.)