I move Financial Resolution No. 2:
(1) THAT the duty of excise on beer imposed by section 90 (1) of the Finance Act, 1992 (No. 9 of 1992), shall, in lieu of the rate specified in section 73 of the Finance Act, 1993 (No. 13 of 1993), be charged, levied and paid, as on and from the 27th day of January, 1994, at the rate of £15.65 per hectolitre per cent. of alcohol in the beer.
(2) IT is hereby declared that it is expedient in the public interest that this Resolution shall have statutory effect under the provisions of the Provisional Collection of Taxes Act, 1927 (No. 7 of 1927).
This resolution provides for an excise duty increase on beer from midnight tonight which, when VAT is included, amounts to 3p on a pint. This represents an increase of 1.72 per cent as against an inflation rate of 2.5 per cent. It is interesting to note that the trade increases, without any budget increase, amounted to 6.3 per cent in 1993 against an inflation rate of 1.5 per cent which is four times greater than the rate of inflation. The yield from the Financial Resolution on beer in 1994 will be £18.4 million and in a full year £20.2 million. The CPI effect is estimated at 0.14 per cent.