Tennents Ireland welcomed Mr McCreevy's decision not to increase excise duty on alcohol. It said it would welcome a reduction in the rate in future. "We believe that such a move would boost sales throughout the industry and would complement the movement towards freer trade within the EU," Mr Liam Meaney, managing director, said.
With the announcement of profit results by Tennents' parent company, Bass Breweries, Mr Meaney added that Caffrey's Irish Ale had increased sales by 40 per cent and Tennents' larger cans by 25 per cent in Ireland, the only brand to have increased its market share in off-licence trade.