The Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has published a ‘go-to guide’ for the industry, aimed at helping policy makers and politicians “better understand” the UK wine and spirit market.
Entitled The UK Wine & Spirit Trade in Focus, the brochure highlights the economic importance and complexity of the trade in the run up to what WSTA says will be “a crucial Autumn Budget”.
Miles Beale (pictured), CEO of the WSTA, said: “It has been clear from our engagement with policy makers and politicians, many of whom are still relatively new in their roles, the value and complexity of the UK wine and spirit industry was not well understood.
“As wine and spirit businesses lick their wounds after a brutal onslaught of rising business taxes, increased costs from alcohol duty hikes and new waste packaging taxes, it is crucial that we make those who have influence understand and support our trade.
jobs“Further tax rises would be the final nail in the coffin for many businesses who have had to find painful ways to cut costs, including putting up prices for consumers and cutting jobs, just to stay afloat.”
The UK Wine & Spirit Trade in Focus booklet is available on the WSTA website and points out that the industry supports over 412,000 jobs of which 62% are in hospitality, while the UK imported the equivalent of 1.7 billion bottles of wine last year and exported the equivalent of 1.5 billion bottles of spirits.