A MONEY-saving scheme has been brewed up by Bury accountant John Turner.

It follows the announcement by Gordon Brown that there will be a 14p per pint cut in duty on micro-brewery real ale.

Mr Turner, of Bury-based accountants and business advisers DTE, said: "Any taxpayer can recover the one per cent National Insurance increase, which will be introduced next April, by drinking more real ale.

"For every seven pints you drink, almost £1 is saved. Therefore, a taxpayer with an annual income of £20,000, who will pay an extra £152 in National Insurance, can claw back this additional tax burden by drinking three pints of micro-brewery beer every night."

Mr Turner, who is himself a real ale enthusiast, hopes the scheme will leave a bitter taste in the Chancellor's mouth:

"If a taxpayer could increase their consumption by a meagre one pint per night, he or she would seriously be in profit," he said.

The idea operates on a sliding scale which means the more you earn, the more you must drink to balance out the National Insurance rise.

Mr Turner explained: "If your income is £60,000 a year, you would need to drink 10 pints a night to be truly tax efficient!"