The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has published its general election manifesto. The document calls on all the UK’s political parties to commit to policies that will help the wine and spirit industry to grow, tackle alcohol related harm and promote responsible production, supply and consumption of alcohol across the UK.
Commit to specific proposals
With the general election now less than four months away, the WSTA is calling on all parties to commit to a range of proposals including:
- Promote wines and spirits as a UK Trade and Investment priority and commit to stocking English wine and British spirits at Government receptions
- Rebalance alcohol duty rates through a modest cut in duty to provide a fairer deal for consumers
- Continue the partnership approach between Government and industry to tackle issues around alcohol related harm, which has proven highly effective
- Stop further unnecessary licensing changes, which are costly to businesses
- Make alcohol awareness education a compulsory part of the national curriculum and support industry efforts to raise consumer awareness
Allow the industry to be globally competitive and to increase its contribution to the UK
Commenting on the publication of the WSTA general election manifesto, WSTA Chief Executive Miles Beale said:
“As we get closer to the general election, the WSTA has developed a manifesto to encourage our political parties to adopt policies that will support the UK’s great and growing wine and spirit sector.
“We believe that the policies suggested will help create a future for our industry that allows it to be globally competitive and to increase its contribution to the UK’s public finances, growth and job creation.
“The principle of partnership and self-regulation runs through all aspects of what the WSTA aims to achieve. We want to remain a committed partner in the policy-making process and the policies within this manifesto have been developed in this view, for the benefit of consumers and the wider economy”.
2% cut in alcohol duty
Within the manifesto, the WSTA is calling for all parties to support a 2% cut in alcohol duty in the 2015 Budget – coinciding with the wider ‘Drop the Duty’ campaign (www.droptheduty.co.uk) – and to reverse the year-on-year alcohol duty increases in the next Parliament. This would allow the sector to boost its sales and employment to the benefit of the public purse.
The full manifesto is available here
A two page version is available here
About the WSTA
The WSTA is the UK organisation for the wine and spirit industry, representing over 340 companies producing, importing, transporting and selling wines and spirits. The WSTA works with its members to promote the responsible production, marketing and sale of alcohol.
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