whisky

s first footers and revellers toast the New Year, the MP for Scotland’s premier Whisky producing constituency, Angus Robertson, has called on the UK Government to make the introduction of a fair tax regime for the premier product a New Year resolution.  

SNP Shadow Scotland Office spokesperson Angus MacNeil MP has mocked the Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy for misspelling the name of Scotland’s national drink.

The 2% duty rise on whisky announced in the 2009 Budget has been slammed by Westminster SNP Leader Angus Robertson MP, whose Moray constituency produces more than half of all Scotch malt whisky.

The SNP has hailed progress made by the Scottish Government on a trade mission to China towards securing Geographic Indication of Origin Status for Scotch Whisky.

SNP Westminster Leader, Angus Robertson MP, has seized on figures from independent economic consultant GEN which reveal a 2.5% cut in whisky duty could have generated £733m for the Scottish economy – double the benefit of the equivalent cut in VAT which was put in place at the last Pre-Budget Report.

Speaking at the Delegated Legislation Committee set up to the deal with the Statutory Instrument on Spirits Duty, Westminster SNP leader Angus Robertson told the London-based Scotland Office that they had "dropped the ball" on a key issue for Scotland's economy. He said the Scotland Office "preferred to issue press releases attacking the Scottish Government than delivering the best policies for Scotland".

SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson MP has welcomed news that the Treasury has tabled a new order to cut an 8 per cent whisky tax increase, announced in the Pre-Budget Report. It is understood that the PBR duty increase will be cut by half to 4%. The u-turn came just 48 hours after the original announcement.

It has been revealed that the UK Labour Government’s whisky duty hike hidden in the 2009 Pre-Budget is the biggest in nearly four decades. Westminster SNP Leader Angus Robertson has written to Chancellor of the Exchequer Alisdair Darling describing his decision as “reckless and damaging” to one of the country’s most important industries.

SNP Westminster Leader, Angus Robertson MP, has expressed anger as it emerged the 8% increase in duty on spirits amounts to a 29p increase in the cost of a bottle of whisky.

Exports of Scotch whisky reached record levels last year, according to figures from an industry body.