Cider drinkers were left with a flat taste in the mouth yesterday after the Chancellor picked them out for a punitive tax rise.
From midnight on Sunday duty on cider will increase by 10 per cent above inflation. The price of a bottle of cider will rise by 9p while a litre of cider will cost an extra 5p.
A 1 per cent increase in duty on beer, wine and spirits will come into force at the same time, adding 2p to a pint, 10p on a bottle of wine and 36p to a bottle of spirits. Alcohol duties will rise by 2 per cent above the rate of inflation for two more years from 2013.
The definition of cider will be changed so that higher-strength versions are taxed more. More than one in ten adults drinks cider at least once a month. . . . . .
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