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Tax rises 'could lead to the £5 pint by 2012'
Mark Blunden, Evening Standard05.08.08
A pint of beer could cost more than £5 by the time London hosts the 2012 Olympics, campaigners warned today.
The Campaign for Real Ale said soaring prices were largely due to tax increases, which were forcing the closure of many pubs.
Chancellor Alistair Darling's 2008 Budget increase was four pence a pint.
But Camra claims some pubs have already raised prices by up to 25 pence to around £4 a pint. Camra chief executive Mike Benner said: "We desperately urge the Chancellor to think again before he goes down in history as the Chancellor who closed thousands of community pubs." Earlier this year, the British Beer and Pub Association suggested a pint would cost £6.50 by 2012.
Today, Camra was due to stage a protest at the opening of the Great British Beer Festival at Earls Court.
Kenneth Linwood, owner of the White Hart in New Cross, has applied for a poledancing and striptease licence to try to help recoup some of his £200,000 debts. He believes a £5 pint by 2012 is realistic. Mr Linwood said: "With the tax increases we are seeing, there's a good chance we could be looking at these kinds of prices."
Meanwhile, InBev, the world's largest brewer, yesterday announced price hikes which will put an extra 3p on a pint.
Reader views (2)
It cost me roughly 60p for a litre of American imported beer in my local. May be a little more in the centre of town in a bar.
Does that give you a clue to how much this government creams you all.
- Asw, Hong Kong
Labour will ban drinking eventually. It was the ban on smoking that increased the pub closure rate and that followed the drink drive ban. What happened to all those that said pub use would increase when smoking was banned? They were liars, out and out liars just thinking of their own nasty selfish needs.
- Mike, Sunbury UK
