Jeremy Hunt urged to freeze alcohol duty to protect Scotch whisky industry or risk jobs being cut

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Jeremy Hunt has been urged to rethink his plan to raise alcohol duty amid warnings it could risk jobs in Scotland's vital food and drink sector.The new Tory Chancellor reversed a series of measures earlier this month previously announced by his predecessor, Kwasi Kwarteng, as part of the disastrous mini-Budget.Among the policies to be scrapped was a pledge to freeze alcohol duty which could have saved the drinks industry some £600m in tax.Hunt is expected to announce a range of a spending cuts when he makes his delayed financial statement on November 17 amid fears of a return to UK Government-imposed austerity.SNP MSP Emma Roddick has now written to the Chancellor to warn the food and drink industry should not be left to "pick up the bill" for Tory economic recklessness.She said: "Scotland’s food and drink sector has already faced sky-rocketing costs due to the double-whammy of the disastrous Brexit and the Tory-made cost of living crisis, scrapping plans to freeze alcohol duty will just put more pressure on the costs incurred by firms."These costs are then passed on to the consumers as the price at which bars and restaurants buy products increases.'Our food and drink sector is world-renowned and is a vital part of the Scottish economy, contributing £3.6bn and employing 47,000 people, more than a quarter of the manufacturing workforce in Scotland."Increasing their costs even further could put the industry at risk and thousands of jobs too, that is why I have written to the Chancellor to urge him to reverse plans to scrap the freeze on alcohol duty."Already Scotland has bankrolled the UK Government’s economic incompetence with the windfall tax with 90 per cent of profits being taken from companies based in Scotland. "Our