Government abandons new tax on drink

London, 8 May 1915 - The British government has abandoned its proposal to double the taxation levied on beer, wine and whiskey.

The increase in taxation had been championed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, David Lloyd George, and was intended to increase productivity in centres of armament manufacturing.

The withdrawal of these proposed taxes by the government is considered to be a consequence of the storm of opposition that greeted their announcement.

Irish opposition

Nowhere was the opposition greater than in Ireland, where public meetings were staged, and politicians and other notable figures combined to set out the many reasons why the proposals were ill-judged.

At the heart of this opposition was the argument that the new taxation would bring ruin to an industry that was of central importance to the Irish economy.

The role of the Irish Parliamentary Party in leading opposition to the government’s proposals has been hailed in many quarters, but particularly by brewers, distillers and publicans.

[Editor's note: This is an article from Century Ireland, a fortnightly online newspaper, written from the perspective of a journalist 100 years ago, based on news reports of the time.]