As of 1st August 2023, alcohol is set to become a whole lot more expensive as taxes on alcohol change.
In an announcement in the Spring Statement from the Government, it was revealed that from 1st August 2023, alcohol duty rates would be raised by 10.1%, in line with the September 2022 inflation figure. The way alcohol will be taxed is also going to change this August, with a new system being introduced which will tax the nation’s favourite alcoholic drinks by strength.
In a move which is the largest increase in wine duty since 1975, you may now see the price of an average bottle of wine bought in a supermarket rise around 44p, which will devastate millions of wine drinkers in the UK whose go-to tipple is a glass of vino.
If the alcohol price hike has put you off buying booze, then that might not necessarily be a bad thing. Excessive alcohol drinking (which us Brits are notoriously best at, with 27% of adults being classed as ‘binge-drinkers’ based on their heaviest drinking day in the week from research conducted by DrinkAware), is one of the leading causes for unwanted weight gain and a major risk factor for obesity.
It’s very easy to drink away our calories with wine, beer, cider – and who could forget our favourite sugar-laden cocktails often packed with calories, with just 1 Espresso Martini totalling up to 300 calories.
And it isn’t just the calorific cocktails that are contributing to weight gain, but with drinking alcohol usually comes a sneaky late night (or should we say early morning) pitstop to the local takeaway.
The nations favourite takeaway after a night’s drinking is a classic doner kebab and chips, but did you know that just 1 grease-packed kebab may contain up to 2000 calories – that’s almost your entire day’s calorie intake recommended by the NHS.
If you’re thinking about getting on the road to Better Health and losing some weight, our free Adult Weight Management service may be able to support you. Click here to learn more about the support we offer.
We also have Focused Health Trainers who specialise in helping people reduce their alcohol intake. If you think you could benefit from some support to cut down on your drinking, please click here.