(DrinksInt) - The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has claimed that the Government’s wine and spirits duty escalator is to blame for UK consumers paying the fourth highest prices for alcohol in the EU.

New figures published by Eurostat and the ONS show that British consumers pay 43% more for their alcohol compared to their European counterparts.

The figures, which compare consumer price levels across the EU, reveal that Britons are paying more for their alcohol than other EU countries apart from Sweden, Finland and Ireland.

Mile Beale, WSTA chief executive said: “The Government has been putting increasing pressure on consumers with continuous tax rises on wine and spirits for the past 5 years.  Tax now accounts for 57% of the cost of a bottle of wine and 79% of a bottle of vodka.

“These figures show that British consumers are being squeezed much more than our European counterparts.