Scrap the duty escalator from cider

26/9/2013

Cider apple orchards can be tricky things: they need care and constant attention. But they not only produce beautiful cider apples they also provide huge environmental benefits to the countryside. Cider apple trees need pruning, organic feeding and cyclic replanting. With all this investment necessary why has George Osborne only removed the ridiculous Duty Escalator from brewers and not cider makers?

The escalator charges cider makers 2% above the rate of inflation, every year on every pint. So why does the Chancellor only want to support the beer industry and not cider making? He probably sees the beer industry as a bigger PR opportunity and is desperately trying to present himself as a ‘man of the people’ (thus his pathetic attempts to change his speech patterns). No one is saying we should tax the brewers more but apple orchards require more investment that fields of barley and give far more back to the environment.

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