TV presenter Kate Thornton said increasing tax on wine would ‘hit women hardest’
(Picture: PA)Rishi Sunak faced a sexism row today over hiking tax on wine - a drink favoured by women - more than beer.
Television presenter Kate Thornton, who hosts the White Wine Question Time podcast, argued that if the Chancellor hikes duty on wine more than beer it would “hit women the hardest”.
She was speaking out as part of a campaign by the Wine Drinkers UK group which is urging Mr Sunak to cut excise duty on wine, a move which would be surprising given the state of the public finances.
It claimed that duty on wine had spiralled by 39 per cent since 2010 compared to an increase of 16 per cent for beer, and that the tax puts 52p on an average 175ml glass of wine, compared to 43p for a pint of beer.
Ms Thornton said: “I’m baffled as to why it (wine) is singled out as an outlier that is open to higher taxes....when you consider that women are more likely to drink wine than men, an increase in duty will hit women the hardest.”
Wine writer and broadcaster Helena Nicklin argued that ministers had cut beer duty to be popular “with the average ‘working man’” but that this was “unfair” on women given the treatment of wine duty.
“The unavoidable fact is that women are more likely to drink wine and if the Chancellor Rishi Sunak increases wine duty it will unfairly impact women more than men,” she added.
Wine Drinkers UK, a campaign group for wine sellers, makers and people who enjoy drinking it, cited a YouGov survey it had commissioned which found 43 per cent of women drinkers listed wine as their favourite alcoholic beverage, compared to seven percent who said beer.
Among men, 44 per cent went for beer and 21 per cent wine.
Downing Street was today not commenting on possible tax hikes in the Budget next week.
