As Marketing and Public Relations Director of one of Britain's leading drinks retailers, I feel a responsibility to write to you relaying my concerns regarding the disparity of customs duty and its affect on our industry.

  It is common knowledge to everyone in the UK drinks industry that the lower duty rates on the continent continues to have an enormous adverse affect on our trade. I can quote many examples where both "boot legging" and, perhaps more importantly, legitimate cross channel shopping is leading to job losses and unacceptable levels of trading for many of us.

  The ongoing debate surrounding the issues of duty harmonisation seems to hinge, as far as I can tell, on the UK government's blinkered view of possible short term revenue loss without seemingly caring about the long term damage to the UK drinks trade and those employed within it. Although I recognise that government income from taxes is an important consideration in the equation, people and their long term prospects within the trade are more important.

  I welcome the news of your enquiry and the prospect of it reducing smuggling. However, bootlegging is but a symptom, the cure for which can only be effected by a realistic view of UK duty rates.

24 August 1999