The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has published The Story of Beer Duty: 2008-2016, detailing how the Government’s decision to abolish the beer duty escalator helped to spark a major turnaround in the fortunes of the beer and pub sector.

beer duty escalator reportThe report, published in partnership with the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) and the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), articulates the two different approaches to beer duty between 2008 and 2016.

It outlines the damage caused by the escalator, which saw beer duty increase by 42% between 2008 and 2012. During this time, beer sales fell by 18.5%, 3,700 pubs closed and 75,000 jobs were lost.

The abolition of the escalator in 2013, after years of campaigning by the BBPA and the wider industry, coupled with a penny off a pint, led to a major turnaround in the beer and pub sector. Beer sales have stabilised, with 2014 seeing the first year of beer sales growth in a decade.

As the report details, beer makes up nearly seven in every ten drinks sold in pubs. The reversal of falling beer sales has also generated investment in pub estates and breweries. More than £1 billion is being invested annually by brewers and pub owners, both in state-of-the-art brewing technology and refurbishment of pubs.

Today, the beer and pub sector supports almost 900,000 jobs across the country, from farmers to brewery technicians, and head chefs in pubs. One in 13 young people currently working in Britain are employed in the beer and pub sector.

Across Britain, 30 million people visit Britain’s pubs each month, with more than 15 million people drinking beer. Going to the pub is third on the list of things to do for overseas visitors to Britain, and seven out of ten visit a pub while they are here.

The BBPA argues that it is now more important than ever that the Government continues to act to protect British beer and pubs. The BBPA has also recently published a manifesto, setting out how the beer and pub sector can continue to be a force for growth and job creation, as Britain prepares to leave the EU.