Hal Wilson

Owner of Cambridge Wine Merchants, IWC Merchant of the Year, and wannabe rock star

[Protect Kamala Harris ✊ @DisavowTrump20]

This is Office David Rose, who was killed during a mass shooting at the CDC by an anti-vax extremist. Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who oversees the CDC, did not attend Rose’s funeral but found the time to speak at Charlie Kirk’s memorial.

RETWEET to honor Officer Rose! ❤️

[Hal Wilson @HalWilsonUK]

Let's do this!

[Tim Atkin @timatkin]

A bunch of wine friends is trying to stop the February duty hike. To join the protest send a capsule or screwcap to Rachel Reeves c/o HM Treasury, 1 Horse Guards Road, London SW1A 2HQ. Please urge the government to #capthewinetax. Our petition goes live soon.

[Hal Wilson @HalWilsonUK]

@WSTA_Miles @GavinQuinney @BestyMike @wstauk @joefattorini @hjpmiles @richardsiddle @robertjoseph @timatkin @ChateauBauduc @jamesmurray_ldn @SpenceLivermore @kevinbonavia @DanielZeichner @libdemdaisy @PaulKohlerSW19 @munirawilson @kevinhollinrake @MelJStride @JolyonMaugham Which I wrote about at length in my impact case study for the Treasury. If we provide thousands of examples surely we can demonstrate that the policy is just unworkable. If I can't cost my wines I don't have a wine business.

[Hal Wilson @HalWilsonUK]

@DanielLambert29 @GavinQuinney @BestyMike @WSTA_Miles @wstauk @joefattorini @hjpmiles @richardsiddle @robertjoseph @timatkin @ChateauBauduc We need to build this evidence into a case that the Treasury doesn't ignore. There are already huge discrepancies in reported ABV data. Mostly it doesn't affect us or the Treasury. It will from next Feb unless we can prove that the policy is unworkable and force a rethink.

[Hal Wilson @HalWilsonUK]

@DanielLambert29 @GavinQuinney @BestyMike @WSTA_Miles @wstauk @joefattorini @hjpmiles @richardsiddle @robertjoseph @timatkin @ChateauBauduc I just received some wine into my bonded account. The bond checks ABVs so I have a report with them. The supplier also puts ABVs on its invoice. Guess what? They don't match! For one wine the difference in cost is 54p per btl. For an entry level wine. This is new normal. Aargh!!

[Hal Wilson @HalWilsonUK]

@PlanetVictoria The OBR has predicted less revenue from alcohol duty until the end of the decade.

[Victoria Moore @PlanetVictoria]

The question is - why is the government so keen to inflict such pointless (and potentially fatal for small businesses) bureaucracy?

[Hal Wilson @HalWilsonUK]

@DanielLambert29 If there's still a way to make the easement permanent I will continue to do what I can.

[Hal Wilson @HalWilsonUK]

What the Budget means for wine businesses and drinkers, a thread. Rishi Sunak's weird alcohol tax reforms sought to take advantage of new found freedoms when the UK had left the EU. Heavily informed by a report funded by anti-alcohol think tank the Institute of Alcohol

[Hal Wilson @HalWilsonUK]

@DanielLambert29 The WSTA and an unprecedented number of large and small merchants, winemakers and importers took the argument to the previous and new governments. The case was forcefully made, backed by powerful evidence from many companies. Politically it was a no-brainer and easy to fix.

[Hal Wilson @HalWilsonUK]

@DanielLambert29 You've said that wine is a tax revenue cash cow and the government's policies are seriously eroding it. The evidence is indisputable (down 10%). If HMT wanted to protect revenue then a rational response would be to freeze duty and make the easement permanent. Why didn't they?

[Hal Wilson @HalWilsonUK]

@DanielLambert29 It would be good to get an explanation but I don't know if the Treasury does that. We can ask our MPs to ask HMT for clarification. Wine isn't yet an important enough domestic industry to make the government take its issues seriously, in the way it can in France, Italy etc.

[Hal Wilson @HalWilsonUK]

£4billion in duty and contributing £67billion in economic activity. We want to be part of the economic growth the country desperately needs. Instead we will spend our time calculating ever decreasing amounts of tax, fuel inflation and look to manage our decline responsibly.

[Hal Wilson @HalWilsonUK]

..in drinking one wine over the other is extremely low. The Budget on Wednesday was a big one, looking to raise huge sums and start to fix the crumbling public services the Government inherited. From the wine trade's perspective we already are a part of the solution, raising