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May, who co-owns freehouse the Royal Oak in the south Wiltshire village of Swallowcliffe and is also the co-owner of gin brand James Gin, made the statement as new research revealed “the current alcohol duty system is nonsensical and places an unnecessary burden on both pubs and consumers”.
A new report from think-tank – the Adam Smith Institute (ASI) – quoted May on his views on the research that claimed “alcohol duty in its current form is counterproductive and could be the nail in the coffin for British pubs and bars”.
The report added: “The main purpose of alcohol duty, besides making money for the state, is to discourage harmful drinking and recoup the costs this has on society – the increase in crime, burden on the NHS, and so on.
Alcohol has many benefits
“However, most people are moderate drinkers, having a pint or two as a way to see friends, relax, and support their local. It is these drinkers – and their local pubs – that are bearing the cost of the tax.
“Alcohol duty discourages moderate drinking without meaningfully changing the behaviour of alcoholics.”
May said: “I have been accused of ‘condoning alcohol consumption’, but this is untrue. I recommend it wholeheartedly. Alcohol has many benefits, from a social lubricant to helping awkward people reproduce, and, as this paper makes clear, it is completely harmless to the vast majority of people. Relax. Have a drink.
“I sell my gin in my pub, so there is a pleasing circularity to all this. Something I have observed through these endeavours is that alcohol duty is completely baffling; a conflation of various rules, some dating back many years, combined with an unspoken implication that we should be punished for having a crafty one.
“It’s as untidy as an olive bowl repurposed as an ashtray.
Revision of alcohol duty
“This paper proposes a straightforward revision of alcohol duty that would treat all drinkers fairly and give pubs a little boost without treating them like some sort of wounded sacred cow.”
The ASI proposes a flat duty of 20p per unit, which it claimed simplifies the current system and recommends slashing rates for wine and mixed drinks by up to 50%. It said this would cut taxes paid by pubs on a double gin and tonic from 68p to 28p and halve those they pay on wine.
May concluded: “Alcohol duty is completely baffling. This paper proposes a straightforward revision of alcohol duty that would treat all drinkers fairly and give pubs a little boost without treating them like some sort of wounded sacred cow.”
