Industry warns thousands of jobs at risk after chancellor refuses to freeze paymentsBrewers have been dealt a “devastating” blow after the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, refused to cancel monthly beer duty payments, prompting warnings that thousands of jobs are at risk. Small breweries and trade bodies said the requirement for them to pay thousands of pounds in beer duty this month threatened their survival, given that off-licences and pubs have been ordered to shut, choking off their means of getting to market. Duty relief would really help this devastated sector and potentially save thousands of jobs.”Quick guide UK lockdown: what are the new coronavirus restrictions? Emma McClarkin, the chief executive of the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), said she had urged Sunak to freeze the payments “to allow businesses to use funds to invest in their survival. Make no mistake, this is a huge blow to Britain’s world-class brewing industry that has been devastated in the last week.

Source: The Guardian March 24, 2020 18:11 UTC