British beer sales fell 4.7 percent last year

LONDON (Reuters) - Beer sales fell 4.7 percent in Britain last year as a mix of cash-strapped consumers and rising government tax proved painful for the industry, the British Beer and Pub Association said. "These figures show that the government needs to stop its full-on tax assault on our vital beer and pub industry. We have had tax hikes of 42 per cent since March 2008," BBPA chief executive Brigid Simmonds said on Friday. Around 138 million fewer pints were drunk in the fourth quarter of 2012 alone. Beer sales fell 3.1 percent in 2011. ...