Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Budgetary Constraints

With beer sales down and four pubs closing every day what better time to stick another 4p on a pint? It's not a tax - it's for health reasons (Doctors welcome alcohol tax rises? Make them work the same hours as the rest of us and watch how fast they turn to drink).

And then there's the 14p on a bottle of wine to help cut binge drinking, Jacob's Creek being the plonk of choice for all the teenage boozers I know (in my experience, older alkies go for Gallo's and fruity Chilean red). As many of you will know, you can't get moved in bus shelters these days for used corkscrews, smashed-up wine flutes and bottle-neck wrappers. And will the extra 55p on spirits see homeless Glaswegians turning back to Tennent's Super, just months after ditching it for 12-year old bottles of Glendiffich, aged in oak?

But while most of us had the squeeze put on our one remaining pleasure, there was better news for billionaire tax dodgers: £30,000 down and nothing more to pay for the next six years.

Because New Labour cares.

No comments: