Alcohol duty looks set to be frozen until 1 August, according to The Sun.
Duties were set to increase on 1 February, but it is understood the Chancellor will delay the move for another six months.
Alcohol duty had been due to rise by RPI inflation, which would have seen the price of a pint of beer rise by around seven pence, with a bottle of wine increasing by 38p and a bottle of spirits seeing a £1.30 increase.
Previous Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng had announced a freeze in alcohol duty, only for current Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to scrap it when he took over in October. But Hunt is now to announce the rise will be postponed, with new duties to be set at next year’s Budget.
Last month The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has made a final plea for the Chancellor to freeze beer duty.
It wrote to Hunt asking him to reconsider reinstating the freeze on duty as costs continue to rise for consumers resulting in a softening of beer sales, and the risk of subsequent business failures.
