BRITS will find out how much the price of beer, cigarettes and fuel are changing on March 15, Jeremy Hunt has announced.
They will form part of a package of economic measures when the Chancellor delivers his Spring Budget next year.
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And as the UK slides into recession, he will present the unvarnished state of the nation’s precarious finances.
The Treasury today confirmed Mr Hunt has asked the Office for Budget Responsibility to prepare a forecast for March 15.
He will also announce any changes to taxes on goods such as petrol, cigarettes and booze.
The Sun reveals today that alcohol duty is set to be frozen until August in a major win for pubs and punters.
Hated alcohol levies were due to be hiked on February 1, but Mr Hunt will delay that move for an extra six months until August 1.
Taxation of alcohol has been in chaos since September’s mini-Budget when short-lived Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng announced a freeze on alcohol duty, only for Hunt to scrap it when he took over the Treasury in October.
Now he is due to announce he will delay the pain and set new duties on booze at next year’s Budget in a welcome U-turn.
The half year reprieve will be a major boost to the struggling hospitality industry, which has been hammered this winter by strikes and soaring costs.
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Drivers are also hoping for a lifeline and are begging the Chancellor to extend the 5p fuel duty cut due to expire in March.
Workers will also be hoping to avoid another tax bombshell after Mr Hunt clobbered them with £25billion worth of hikes in November.
