Rachel Reeves has been warned not to hike alcohol taxes again at the Budget with British drinkers already paying up to four times more on spirits than in other countries.
Excise duty on a standard 50ml double measure of gin, vodka or rum is 66p, double the level in France and Poland.
The equivalent charge in Spain is just 16p, according to the UK Spirits Alliance.
A double gin and tonic at a London bar can typically cost more than £10, with duty and VAT accounting for roughly a quarter of the price.
UKSA insisted the Chancellor must ‘back British spirits’ after a 3.65 per cent hike at the last fiscal package and a 10.1 per cent increase under the Tories.
Rachel Reeves is facing a perfect storm at the Budget this Autumn, with a clamour for more spending even as the economy slows down and interest rates on the UK’s debt mountain rise
Edward Bailey, Director of TORS Vodka and UKSA spokesman, said: ‘British drinkers are being punished at the bar while more than 70 per cent of the cost of a bottle of UK-made vodka goes straight to the Treasury.
‘We craft world-class spirits right here in the UK, yet our own government is making it harder than ever for people to enjoy them.
‘With the highest alcohol taxes in Europe, it feels like Westminster is taxing pride in British produce straight off the shelf…
‘Ministers say they back British business and want to support pubs and hospitality. If they mean it, they need to show it – and it starts with a fair tax regime and no more hikes.’
Ms Reeves is facing a perfect storm at the Budget this Autumn, with a clamour for more spending even as the economy slows down and interest rates on the UK’s debt mountain rise.
A double gin and tonic at a London bar can typically cost more than £10, with duty and VAT accounting for a quarter of the price (file picture)
There have been estimates that the black hole in the public finances could be as big as £50billion.
Fears are mounting that Ms Reeves is plotting another huge tax raid, with an array of grim options having been floated over the summer.
Many MPs have been demanding a wealth tax in a bid to raise huge sums, despite alarm that entrepreneurs are already leaving the country.
