PINT-SINKING Brits are forking out £64,884 per minute in taxes on beer, campaigners say.
Around one third of the cost of a pint of lager is tax – or £1.15 in beer duty and VAT.
England fans guzzled an estimated 6.8 million pints during the triumphant semi final clash against Denmark, according to the Taxpayers’ Alliance.
Bustling pubs took around £25m in beer sales – but nearly £7.8m of this has to be handed straight over to the taxman, the TPA said.
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TPA, said: “Football might be coming home, but the taxes on pints are going through the roof.
“With England fans backing the squad with a beer in hand, a tax cut on alcohol would be a massive win for punters and pubs. The Chancellor should now do his bit and bung booze into the VAT cut.”
The UK has the highest beer duty of all the teams England has played in the Euros, research by the Taxpayers Alliance found.
It is 13 times higher than the tax the Germans pay, and three times higher than the Italians fork out. Since 2010, beer duty has increased by 10.2 per cent.
Without this levy, the average cost of a pint would be reduced from £3.69 to £3.16, the group said.
The TPA urged kill-joy ministers to slash the tax to help boozers and punters enjoy the footie.
A Treasury spokesman said: “We’ve frozen beer duty for the fourth year in a row, saving drinkers billions, and we’ve extended support schemes including furlough, business rates relief, grants funding and a cut in VAT to ensure the hospitality sector is supported in the months ahead.”
