The recent decision by the UK government to impose tax stamps has provoked a vehement reaction from the drinks industry, which claims that it will damage competitiveness and do little to tackle fraud. Gordon Brown outlined his proposals for the introduction of tax stamps by 2006 in the recent budget, emphasising that he believed the measure would allow consumers, traders and customs to identify spirits that had not paid UK duty. A treasury statement said "This will save an estimated £160M/year and measures will be introduced to help minimise the additional costs to businesses" It was also said that in order to cushion impact on prices, duty on spirits for the remainder of the Parliamentary period would be frozen. The move has met with a chorus of disapproval from industry bodies who view the implementation of the tax stamps with hostility.
