And pigs shall fly. A socialist government, a nanny state like the one we have in the UK lower taxes? It will never happen.
Socialists raise taxes, socialists reduce people to poverty to get them dependent on the state, socialists oppose people enjoying themselves and living independent lives free from the all seeing eye of unelected PM Gordon "cyclops" Brown.
Still worth a try.
After all they claim to be for the people, even if they won't let us vote on Europe....
From the CAMRA site: http://www.camra.org.uk/page.aspx?o=whatsnew2
Dear Parliamentarian
Beer Duty Increases are ‘a charter for smugglers and cheap supermarket booze'
As a consumer organisation representing over 90,000 consumers CAMRA has condemned the Chancellor's irresponsible tax raid on community pubs and beer. The Chancellor's budget increase of 4 pence a pint will lead to price rises of 20 pence or more on a pint in community pubs, fuelling pub closures and increasing unregulated drinking as more choose to drink at home or on the streets.
The vast majority of community pubs are run as small businesses that provide a modest profit for their owners. These business-people are now faced with the difficult choice of increasing their beer prices by 20 pence a pint or struggling to make a living on lower profit margins.
Pubs provide a regulated environment for people to enjoy alcohol socially and responsibly. This budget increase will further widen the gap between supermarket and pub beer prices, which will lead to fewer people drinking in pubs and more people drinking at home or on the streets.
The Chancellor has failed to recognise that well-run community pubs are the solution to Britain's binge drinking problems. This budget will do nothing to stop binge drinking, but it will lead to pub closures on a huge scale, widen the gap between supermarket and pub prices and encourage smuggling and cross-border shopping. It's a big nail whacked ruthlessly into the coffin of the community pub.
In addition to over 15 million people who enjoy drinking beer on a regular basis over 600,000 people in the UK rely on beer and pubs for their employment. According to the British Beer and Pub Association every pint sold in a pub nets the Government £1.14 in duty, VAT and employment taxes. This reckless beer duty rise is putting this tax revenue and people's jobs at risk as it will drive hard pressed consumers to buy beer from supermarkets rather than their local community pub.
Pubs are defined as local services in the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 yet this budget gives no consideration to the continued viability of pubs. Unlike pubs supermarkets look set to benefit from this beer duty increase as higher pub beer prices will increase the power of discounted alcohol as a means of attracting customers to their stores. Unlike pubs supermarkets do not rely on alcohol sales to make a profit.
On behalf of our 90,000 members and Britain's 15 million beer drinkers I urge you to press the UK Chancellor to reconsider this reckless tax raid on community pubs and beer.
Yours sincerely
Mike Benner
Chief Executive
CAMRA, The Campaign for Real Ale
mike.benner@camra.org.uk
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