Alcohol duty had risen year on year for over a decade, and is now 50% higher than in the UK. Our industry has been severely damaged by the continual rises, and we had to stand up and say…..No more!

Thanks go to Luke Wheadon for his work and assistance on this subject, and to all of our members who supported the case by endorsing our communications into government to produce a positive response.

During the recent budget debate P&R confirmed there will be a freeze on alcohol duty for 2025. This is a positive outcome for the hospitality industry, and highlights the importance of our association and the work that went into building a case for the Deputies to make the right decision.

The freeze, the first for more than a decade, has been proposed by the Policy & Resources Committee after the Guernsey Hospitality Association warned it was reaching a ‘tipping point’ where duty rises were damaging the whole tourism industry and the island.

Association president Alan Sillett has welcomed the proposal and said it was good news for the industry, which had seen cumulative duty rises of more than 65% since 2012. Currently duty on a pint of normal strength beer or cider is 59.6p a pint.

‘I think we built a strong case with the P&R committee,’ he said. ‘The hospitality industry has faced increases over the last 12 years and it’s gone on far too long.

‘More people have been purchasing alcohol at supermarkets and drinking at home rather than going to bars or restaurants, which isn’t good for their mental health as they aren’t socialising as much.’

He hoped that the freeze might stay in place for two or three years, and the association would again look to build a strong case for the 2026 Budget.

Mr Sillett said that the hospitality industry had been an ‘easy target’ for tax rises and said that better awareness and education would be more effective.

‘There’s no good argument for the increases as it doesn’t reduce overall consumption of alcohol, it just moves it to people drinking at home,’ he said.

‘The freeze highlights the importance of the hospitality sector and having a good time without being controlled by the “wine police”,’ he said.