THE head of Kent brewing and pub giant, Shepherd Neame, has branded the 2008 Budget as a "massive kick in the teeth".

The drinks industry was dealt the biggest blow in today’s budget speech, with taxes on booze rising yet again.

Duty on beer will increased by 4p a pint from midnight on Sunday, while cider will go up by 3p a litre. The price of a bottle of wine will rise by 14p, and spirits will increase by a hefty 55p a bottle.

Jonathan Neame, chief executive of the Faversham-based brewery that owns 275 pubs in Kent, said he had been "taken by surprise" by the extent of the rises.

He said: "I think this is a massive kick in the teeth for one of the most important industries.

"There are one million people employed in this industry.

"This is guaranteed to accelerate pub closures and it is guaranteed to reduce employment."

The news comes shortly after studies found UK pubs are closing at a rate of nearly four a day, due in part to the smoking ban and rock-bottom supermarket deals on alcohol.

Mr Neame said he believes the Government was wrong if it believed problems with anti-social drinking could be laid at the door of the brewing industry.

He said: "I think this is a most pathetic, shallow, political gesture. This will do nothing to tackle issues of alcohol harm.

"What this will do is push prices in the pub up. It will shift alcohol consumption to the supermarkets where they can get cheaper alcohol.

"My customers don’t want to pay more for their beer. They are responsible drinkers and they don’t want to pay for the sins of a minority."

Shepherd Neame owns 380 pubs nationwide.