Finance Act 1991

14 For section 49 of that Act (power to regulate manufacture of beer by brewers for sale) there shall be substituted—

“49 Beer regulations

(1) The Commissioners may, with a view to managing, securing and collecting the duty on beer produced in, or imported into, the United Kingdom or to the protection of the revenues derived from the duty of excise on beer, make regulations—

(a) regulating the production, packaging, keeping and storage of beer produced in the United Kingdom and the packaging, keeping and storage of beer imported into the United Kingdom;

(b) regulating the registration of persons and premises under section 41A or 47 above and the revocation or variation of any such registrations;

(c) for determining under or in accordance with the regulations when the production of beer begins and when it is completed;

(d) for securing and collecting the duty;

(e) for determining the duties chargeable, the rates of those duties, the persons liable to pay them and in that connection prescribing the method of charging the duties, the due dates for payment and the method of payment;

(f) for charging the duty, in such circumstances as may be prescribed in the regulations, by reference to a strength which the beer might reasonably be expected to have, or the rate of duty in force, at a time other than that at which the beer becomes chargeable;

(g) for relieving beer from the duty in such circumstances and to such extent as may be prescribed in the regulations;

(h) regulating and, in such circumstances as may be prescribed in the regulations, prohibiting the addition of substances to, the mixing of, or the carrying out of other operations on or in relation to, beer;

(j) regulating the transportation of beer in such circumstances as may be prescribed in the regulations.

(2) Regulations under this section may make different provision for persons, premises or beer of different classes or descriptions, for different circumstances and for different cases.

(3) Any person contravening or failing to comply with any regulation made under this section shall be liable on summary conviction to a penalty not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale, and any article or substance in respect of which the offence was committed shall be liable to forfeiture.”