You pay a higher rate of tax on barbecue wine than billionaires do on their Romanee Conti. I can fix that

A modest proposal to level the playing field as the Sunday Times Rich List shows that the billionaires can afford more exorbitantly priced wine than ever

The wine of kings… but the duty is the same £2.23 as you pay on your Tesco I Heart Pinot (Getty)

We’re moving into the season for eating outside, or we will be when the weather stops making it feel more like very late autumn than late spring.

This got me to thinking about alcohol duty, especially that on wine, which is a staple of such reasonably Covid-safe occasions.

The Treasury has completed a post-Brexit review, looking at how it should work and whether licensed premises should get a cheaper rate to assist their post-pandemic recovery, which would mean higher rates for off-licence sales to keep them revenue-neutral. The results remain to be seen.