FOREST MP Mark Harper, together with his Conservative colleagues, voted against the Government’s plan to raise cider duty rates by 10 per cent above inflation following this week’s Budget debates.

Commenting, Mark said:

“To whack a 10 per cent inflation busting rate rise on cider is typical of this Government. We said before the Budget that we could understand increased duties on super strength ciders to help curb anti-social behaviour but this will hit everyone who likes a glass every now and again.

"In the Forest we’re proud to have successful cider producers of proven quality but this will make their businesses suffer.

"As with its proposed rise in National Insurance, a tax on jobs that will force businesses to shed jobs to cope with the high cost of employing people, the cider tax shows the Government has no understanding of how we will fix our economy.

"Earlier this week the Chancellor of the Exchequer told the Treasury select committee that any unemployment caused by his taxes on jobs would be ‘manageable’. I very much doubt that the people who will lose their jobs because their employers can’t afford them anymore would agree.”