Darling raises alcohol duties above inflation

LONDON (Reuters) - Chancellor Alistair Darling announced on Wednesday that alcohol duty will increase by 6 percent above the inflation rate with rises coming in at midnight on Sunday.

In his first budget, Darling told parliament that beer will rise by 4 pence a pint, wine by 14p a bottle and spirits by 55p a bottle, marking the first rise in duties on spirits in more than a decade.

Tax on cigarettes, he said, will go up by 11p on a pack of 20.