The latest alcohol duty receipts are down by 4.3% compared to this time last year, according to the figures published on 19 September.  

Wine receipts are down 6%, spirits are down 5% and beer down 2.5%. The one exception is cider, up 10%.  
According to the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), if this trend continues over the rest of the year, then receipts will come in at £12.1bn which is £900million less than the OBR forecast in March.  

Miles Beale, chief executive of the WSTA, commented: “The latest alcohol receipts prove that government’s plan to boost Treasury coffers by raising taxes on alcohol have been a crushing disaster. Alcohol sales have been in steady decline since 2023, following the largest alcohol tax hike for 50 years. 

“Instead of bringing in more cash to plug the black hole in public finances they have carved out a loss of over £220 million in the first five months of this financial year compared to the same period last year.” 

Beale continued that the only way to break this cycle is to freeze excise duty on wine and spirits at the November budget.  

This sentiment was mirrored by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), UK Spirits Alliance, the Welsh Whisky Association, the English Whisky Guild and Drinks Ireland, who have all signed an open letter to the chancellor calling for a freeze on duty.  

In a statement, Mark Kent, chief executive of the SWA, said: “The chancellor must listen to the warning signs – the sector-wide job losses, the falling Treasury revenue, the sluggish growth of the UK economy – and move to support the distilled spirits sector with a long term excise duty freeze in the autumn.” 

Ian Smith, chair of the UK Spirits Alliance, added: “Fair treatment of spirits is proven to deliver growth, employment and investment in local communities. Committing to freezing excise duty in the autumn budget will deliver all three whilst also generating Treasury revenue.”