Shropshire brewer delighted at beer tax cut
A cut to the price of a pint of beer is the best news to have hit the industry in some time, a Shropshire brewer said today.
Norman Pearce, owner of Corvedale brewery and landlord of The Sun Inn at Corfton, near Craven Arms, described Chancellor George Osborne's announcement to cut a penny off the price of a pint in yesterday's Budget as a 'lifeline' for the industry.
Mr Pearce said: "This is the best news the industry has heard in a long time and something we have campaigned for.
"The Government have at last listened to the people. It has been an unfair tax and the beer industry was singled out. It now means that we are no longer being forced to put our prices up.
"This is a lifeline for the real ale industry and pubs."
Planned changes to corporation tax and guarantees for mortgages have also received a warm response.
Ian Davies, of Tranter Lowe Chartered Accountants, said some of the more positive news came with reservations.
"The alignment of corporation tax to 20 per cent will hopefully attract or retain major companies in the UK," he said.
"But that will depend on them declaring profits to take advantage of the tax rate cut.
"The Chancellor increased the personal tax allowance increase next year to £10,000 which will mean many people paying less tax, but with the basic rate band being reduced more and more tax payers will be paying 40 per cent tax."
Michael Nettleton, director of Nock Deighton, said: "The announcement that £130 billion of mortgage guarantees are being made available is encouraging news for Shropshire, and shows the Government's commitment to helping individuals make informed decisions, whilst also giving them the confidence to spend again in a responsible and structured way. The Chancellor has also addressed the need to consider not only new housing developers, but also the needs of other home owners looking to move up the ladder, which I'm hopeful will help boost the Shropshire housing market further."
Businesswoman Nicole Howarth, managing director of shipping company Global Freight, in Telford, welcomed the axing of a fuel duty rise due in September.
She said: "By cancelling the 3p rise in fuel duty due in September, the Chancellor has shown he has listened to hard-working families across the UK who say that this increase would have caused hardship."
