WHISKY TAX STAMP

Early day motion 842, tabled 12 February 2002 by Annabelle Ewing (Scottish National Party). Signed by 19 members.

That this House notes with concern the UK Government's plans that a Tax Stamp be put on every bottle of whisky sold; believes that whilst effective measures must be taken against fraud, this scheme as a device to prevent it is fundamentally flawed; further notes that the DTI in 1997 wrote to the Norwegian Government when it was considering a similar scheme to warn that it was 'likely to be inefficient and ineffective as a means of combating fraud and illicit trade'; further notes that it would apply to spirits only and not to wine and therefore would discriminate against home grown drinks and in favour of imported wines; further notes that if implemented, it might cost even a small distiller ú6.5 million a year in extra costs; further notes that the US, Greece and Ecuador have abolished strip stamps, whilst Germany, Belgium and Norway have abandoned plans to introduce them; and calls upon the UK Government to abandon its plans to introduce this discriminatory and hugely burdensome scheme on the Scotch Whisky industry.

Signatures by party: Labour 6, Scottish National Party 5, Plaid Cymru 4, Conservative 2, Labour/Co-operative 1, UUP 1.