France, the land of wine, is planning heavy taxes on beer, and that is not going down well with brewers - even in other nations. President Francois Hollande is pushing through legislation to increase taxes on beer by 160pc to help fund struggling social programmes as France tries to contain a budget deficit hit hard by the economic crisis. The tax would affect local brews and the 30pc of imported beer the French drink, AP reported. The change means the price of a beer will increase by about 20pc in bars and supermarkets, said Jacqueline Lariven, spokeswoman for the French brewer's federation Brasseurs de France. The ... (full story)