Parliament debate on duty fraud

A debate on duty fraud was held at the House of Commons on Tuesday February 9 after intense lobbying by the FWD.

Treasury minister Sarah McCarthy-Fry attended the debate, which was been tabled by Rochdale MP Paul Rowen, and responded to points that he raised.

Rowen highlighted the £1bn-plus loss to the exchequer caused by duty fraud on alcohol, informed the minister about how much intelligence the FWD has gathered on duty fraud, and asked why no minister has met with the Federation or its members to benefit from their expertise.

The FWD has proposed that a registration scheme should be introduced so that only legitimate traders are able to supply alcohol, and Rowen also asked the minister what steps have been taken to adopt the measure.