tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21271644.post700301424101072339..comments2023-11-02T07:13:53.064-07:00Comments on Beervana: Will a Massive Beer Tax Crush British Pub Culture?Jeff Alworthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02930119177544342495noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21271644.post-37202960584075542412011-03-27T20:00:36.466-07:002011-03-27T20:00:36.466-07:00Jim and Beer Nut: thanks. Those are both interest...Jim and Beer Nut: thanks. Those are both interesting reads. The plot continues to thicken...Jeff Alworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02930119177544342495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21271644.post-68360638970217036772011-03-27T15:34:04.482-07:002011-03-27T15:34:04.482-07:00There's a very good take on the whole issue, a...There's a very good take on the whole issue, and where micros fit in, from Hardknott Dave <a href="http://hardknott.blogspot.com/2011/03/taxing-duty-of-adding-value.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>.The Beer Nuthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14105708522526153528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21271644.post-80694861898844270452011-03-26T17:26:52.890-07:002011-03-26T17:26:52.890-07:00If you read through this Pam Erickson (former head...If you read through this Pam Erickson (former head of the OLCC) discusses UK and their issues. They have deregulated their alcohol marketplace and are attempting to lower the resulting rise in consumption by raising taxes.<br /><br />http://www.pamaction.com/pdf/UK_Alcohol_Deregulation.pdfJimnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21271644.post-39542695993153746372011-03-24T09:13:19.360-07:002011-03-24T09:13:19.360-07:00Beer Nut, I will plead distance. I know next to n...Beer Nut, I will plead distance. I know next to nothing about the British retail market, so I'll keep my mouth shut.<br /><br />Elijah, I was thinking about the relationship to the effect taxes exert on consumption--the point that it's counterintuitive to raise taxes and lose tax revenue. Up to a certain point, there's no real relationship. Oregon is a low-tax state with moderate Jeff Alworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02930119177544342495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21271644.post-15578507525638463952011-03-24T06:44:15.953-07:002011-03-24T06:44:15.953-07:00I'm not sure which point you're disagreein...I'm not sure which point you're disagreeing with- that narrowing the base often results in decreased tax collections, or that measuring the success of this particular tax increase depends on what the British Government was really trying to accomplish.<br /><br />To your point about "thresholds," I don't agree that just because we have relatively low beer taxes here in OregonAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06465557640363780260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21271644.post-47782485495023276852011-03-24T02:48:05.173-07:002011-03-24T02:48:05.173-07:00I don't know who brews Sainsbury's Basics ...I don't know who brews Sainsbury's Basics Bitter, but once you're contracting for a national supermarket it's hard to describe the end product as any way "local".The Beer Nuthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14105708522526153528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21271644.post-63525818454013841102011-03-23T22:25:06.573-07:002011-03-23T22:25:06.573-07:00Elijah, I think you're wrong there. If beer t...Elijah, I think you're wrong there. If beer taxes had such a profound effect on consumption, we'd expect low-beer-tax states (like Oregon) to have higher per capita consumption than high tax states. But there's no correlation.<br /><br />Where it changes is when you pass a certain threshold (and surely economists know that threshold)--which is where Britain is.Jeff Alworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02930119177544342495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21271644.post-964759921540039992011-03-23T21:04:51.433-07:002011-03-23T21:04:51.433-07:00"Bizarrely, [raising the tax on beer] will al...<i>"Bizarrely, [raising the tax on beer] will almost certainly result in lower tax revenues...And herein lies the effect of [tax] law on beer."</i><br /><br />At the risk of injecting politics into this, that is usually what happens when the tax base contracts (either as a direct or indirect consequence of tax legislation).<br /><br />In this particular instance, if the intended Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06465557640363780260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21271644.post-88809395593366148422011-03-23T12:17:44.502-07:002011-03-23T12:17:44.502-07:00You know what happened the last time the British e...You know what happened the last time the British excessively raised taxes on a beverage? 'merica, that's what.Soggy Coasterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14646016892555782239noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21271644.post-8477920849236050632011-03-23T11:49:38.482-07:002011-03-23T11:49:38.482-07:00Harvey's of Lewes, a local brewer by anyone...Harvey's of Lewes, a local brewer by anyone's standards, has a new 2.7% beer, but it's the only one I've seen. I haven't tried it but if anyone can make a decent beer at that strength Harvey's can. <br /><br />But the fiddling with duty rates at the extremes is a side issue. Beer over 7.5% makes up under 2% of the UK beer market. Beer under 2.8% is even less. It's theBarmhttp://refreshingbeer.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21271644.post-72685120341559953912011-03-23T10:31:27.441-07:002011-03-23T10:31:27.441-07:00You have confused me (a sadly easy task). London&...You have confused me (a sadly easy task). London's Meantime brews Basics Bitter, yes? Would we not consider that local? Walk me out of the weeds on this one.Jeff Alworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02930119177544342495noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21271644.post-53364211395610992822011-03-23T10:25:34.816-07:002011-03-23T10:25:34.816-07:00"This is useful because the only breweries pr..."This is useful because the only breweries producing beer that weak will be local."<br /><br />Not true. Most of the beers I've seen in this category are canned supermarket own-brand ales (like the one <a href="http://thebeernut.blogspot.com/2010/11/aladdin-sainsburys.html" rel="nofollow">here</a>). I can't see a rush of small breweries making this sort of beer.The Beer Nuthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14105708522526153528noreply@blogger.com