THE boss of Blackburn brewers Daniel Thwaites has accused Gordon Brown of scoring a "classic own goal" over his plans to raise tax on the price of a pint by 1p.
Paul Baker, who is also chairman of the British Beer and Pub Association, said he was "very disappointed" by the Chancellor's decision.
"It is a classic own goal from the Chancellor, for a recent period of duty freezes has been good for both the Treasury and the brewing industry," he said. "Tax revenues have continued to rise steadily at 1.5 per cent per annum and beer sales have started to pick up.
"Increasing beer duty now threatens both Treasury revenues and the competitiveness of the UK beer sector and it will only lead to more and more people taking booze cruises to the Continent and encourage illegal smuggling.
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