Budget buzz!

Now that The Cheltenham Festival is upon us, why not have a wee flutter. What about 7/2 that beer will go up by more than 5p per pint!

Beer taxes - frozen in the 2001 and 2002 budgets - have gone up broadly in line with inflation since then. Tax accounts for 28% of the price of a pint and the odds are stacked against that figure being reduced. By why should the responsible drinkers of high quality beer be swept up in the same Draconian measures meant to lessen the impact of binge drinking? Surely there is a more equitable way?

Double carpet says Mr Darling doesn't find that way.