Asda chief executive Andy Bond has hit out at increases in alcohol duty announced in last week’s Budget.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraphy, he described the increases – which took effect from midnight on Sunday – as a “blunt instrument” that will hurt hard-working families who consume alcohol responsibly.
It would have little, if any, affect on alcohol-related crime and disorder, Bond added.
Asda’s retail director Andy Clarke also said Chancellor Alistair Darling had “got it wrong” on plastic bags.
He said it was better to give shoppers incentives to change their habits than to clobber them with a levy “which is nothing more than a green gimmick”.
