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Campaigners Demand Closure of Tax Loophole Fueling Cheap High-Strength Cider

Alcohol Change UK has written to public health minister Ashley Dalton demanding repeal of a subsidy designed for apple growers that lets supermarkets sell cider at less than half the tax rate applied to beer

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Overview

  • Under current law, cider with 3.5 to 8.5% ABV is taxed at £9.67 per litre of alcohol, just 46% of the £21.01 rate applied to beer.
  • Since 2020, the price of a 2.5-litre bottle of Frosty Jack’s 7.5% ABV cider has jumped by just 5.3%, compared with 26% consumer price inflation.
  • Tesco sells 4% ABV Compton Orchard cider at £1 per litre, matching the price of its own-brand apple juice.
  • The British Retail Consortium argues that higher cider duties would punish consumers who already drink within recommended limits and highlights supermarkets’ responsible drinking initiatives.
  • Alcohol Change UK has called for ministers to scrap the super-strength subsidy and rewrite cider duty rules to prevent supermarkets from selling high-ABV products at budget prices.