Calls for Tax Cut on World-Class Scottish Product
The SNP has demanded the Chancellor cut tax on Scotch Whisky in her upcoming UK Budget.
Graeme has joined Speyside SNP MPs Graham Leadbitter and Seamus Logan in calling on the Labour Party live up to their promise to back Scotch Whisky.
It comes after Sir Keir Starmer said he would back Scottish producers āto the hiltā following a visit to InchDairnie whisky distillery in last November.
Analysis conducted by the Scotch Whisky Association found that, after the UK government increased Whisky excise duty by 10.1% last year, revenue received by the Treasury fell by Ā£298 million.
Additionally, from 1st January 2025 Scotch Whisky producers will pay 3 different taxes per bottle: Ā£8.86 duty, 20% VAT, and Extended Producer Responsibility (estimated at around Ā£0.15 per bottle, based on DEFRAās published fees of up to Ā£215/tonne for glass).
In 2022, Scotch Whisky generated Ā£7.1bn for the UK economy, supporting more than 40,000 jobs in Scotland.
The UK Government has been holding back this key Scottish industry, which is so internationally recognised contributes very significantly to the overall UK economy.
GRAEME
The taxes in question are not working – they are costing both the sector and the Treasury.
Like Scotland’s energy sector, it seems Scotch whisky is treated as just a cash cow – but Westminster is not even taxing it effectively.
The SNP is pushing to see such important Scottish business genuinely ‘backed to the hilt’ as Labour have promised, and as this is what will help towards delivering growth and supporting jobs.
