END OF THE BOOZE CRUISE

It seems that the traditional British “booze cruises” to hypermarkets across the Channel for duty free drink and cigarettes could soon be a thing of the past, if a proposed ruling by the European Court of Justice goes ahead. The ruling will allow shoppers to order duty free drink and cigarettes from EU countries either over the phone or via the internet. The ruling is the first stage in setting a single rate of taxes across Europe.

Critics argue that being able to buy cheap drink and cigarettes will only lead to an increase in cancer deaths. In addition there will be a fall in tax revenue coming into Britain, which means there will be much less money to spend on essential services like hospitals and schools. For a lot of Britons, the end of cross-channel trips to the hypermarket will be like the end of an era! Life will never be the same again!