Wetherspoon’s Tim Martin: Government tax policy is hitting the pub sector and forcing people to drink at home March 16, 2017 Wetherspoon's boss Tim Martin has issued a call to arms to pubs and restaurants in an attempt to convince the government to slash "unfair" taxes levied on the sector. The pub chain founder said tax policy is not only harming the pub sector, it is also forcing poorer people to drink at home as alcohol can [...]
Budget 2017 UK predictions: What you can expect from the chancellor’s Spring Budget March 7, 2017 It's that time of year again: the chancellor is getting set to dust off his little red box and deliver the Spring Budget. It's the last one we'll see at this time of year, as Philip Hammond decided to move the major announcements to an Autumn Statement schedule. It's likely to be a more staid [...]
Drinkers raise a glass to posh booze as premium spirits and wine sales soar worldwide June 14, 2016 Posh booze has become the order of the day for the world's drinkers, who are clearly after quality not quantity when it comes to their tipples. Worldwide, the premium-and-above spirits market grew five per cent in 2015, equivalent to 6.7m nine-litre cases on the 2014 total, according to the alcohol analysis firm IWSR's 2016 database. The most [...]
Global alcoholic drinks consumption drops for the first time in a decade, according to Euromonitor International May 12, 2016 Global sales volumes of alcoholic drinks declined a sobering 0.7 per cent in 2015, entering negative territory for the first time in more than a decade. This fall translated into a loss of 1.7bn litres of alcoholic drinks sales since 2014, according to research from Euromonitor International. Worldwide volumes were derailed by the effects of [...]
Nanny State Index: The UK is one of the most nannying states in Europe – but there’s little evidence to suggest sin taxes on sugar and alcohol are helping March 31, 2016 George Osborne’s decision to put a sin tax on fizzy drinks confirmed that there is no escape from the nanny state in Britain, but if the increasingly meddlesome tendencies of our politicians makes you want to emigrate, where should you go? Today’s publication of the first ever Nanny State Index suggests that Luxembourg, Germany or the Czech Republic [...]
Nanny state? Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) says taxes on wine, beer, cigarettes and sugar make Britain among the most meddling countries in the EU March 31, 2016 Excessive regulation and so-called "sin taxes" make Britain among the most meddling countries in the European Union, according to a new report out today from the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA). The free market think tank published its annual "Nanny State Index" league table with the European Policy Information Centre, putting Britain in the number [...]
Write it down and start drinking mocktails: Seven ways to stay off the alcohol and stick to Dry January December 29, 2015 You may still be gearing up for a fairly heavy New Year's Eve, but that doesn't mean you can't start preparing yourself for Dry January. According to website dryjanuary.org.uk, some two million people last year cut down on their alcohol consumption in January 2015 – and even more people are expected to stay off the booze this year. Read more: 10 [...]
Boozy Britain? London is sobering up – and so is the rest of the country June 12, 2015 London is the soberest region in the UK, according to new data, showing drinking habits among adults, released today by the Office for National Statistics. Nearly a third of respondents from the Capital said they did not drink any alcohol – far higher than any other region. Across the UK, 21 per cent [...]
Why don’t Britons identify with Canadians? April 7, 2014 There's some pretty predictable stuff in Ipsos Mori’s new poll on how Britons are becoming less nationalistic, but feel a greater sense of connection on a local and global level. Social media, easy travel and sharing networks (to name but a few) mean that, on the one hand, people feel closer to those immediately around them, but [...]
What does the chancellor’s budget mean for you? December 5, 2013 Catherine Gannon, 51Managing director of law firm GannonThe business is performing extremely well but that is thanks to investments: profits are up but the cost of living has increased, making Catherine feel less well off. She lives with two children, aged 11 and 13, in her own home and holds investment properties. She doesn’t have [...]