If you’ve ever seen or drunk a bottle of spirits from the UK then you have probably seen a duty stamp. But the familiar pink sticker on the back of bottles of alcohol over 30% will soon no longer be necessary. In the UK’s 2024 Spring Budget the law governing the Alcohol Duty Stamp Scheme has been repealed, and for many in the industry that is welcome news.
The duty stamp scheme was introduced in the UK in 2006 as a response to duty fraud being conducted in the 1990s. However, even before its legal introduction the need for it was contested because the 1990s fraud in question was for low value alcohol not high value spirits.
Alan Powell has been one member of the industry who has fought the unnecessary law because of the strain it puts on the industry in terms of paperwork and environmental impact.
In an article for Distiller’s Journal, Powell explains, “On behalf of the industry, I have written to HMRC Policy officials several times using official channels to discuss re-evaluation of the duty stamps scheme, and in particular in the context of re-use of empty bottles that will be re-filled with duty-paid spirits and bearing in mind the environmental imperative.”
Powell is an active campaigner for legal matters within the industry and is also actively campaigning for the repeal of WOWGR legislation.
The announcement of the repeal of the scheme in the 2024 Spring Budget states that the changes “represents a simplification for the spirits industry which has faced associated cost burdens and complexity.” Along with the continued freeze on duty, the latest budget has been generally welcomed by the UK spirits industry.
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