The chancellor is being urged to scrap tax and excise duties on alcohol that is being used to make hand sanitiser.
Scottish finance secretary Kate Forbes made the plea as distilleries across the country have been switching production away from their usual products to make hand cleaning gels.
Firms such as north-east Scottish brewers Brewdog have changed their production lines after panic buying during the coronavirus pandemic left sanitiser in short supply.
Ms Forbes said she was âheartenedâ to see so many companies playing their part to replenish stocks.
She added that in these âexceptionalâ times âwhere it is clear that alcohol is being provided for the purpose of hygiene, sanitisation and medical use it should not be subject to excise or tax as a defaultâ.
In her letter to chancellor Rishi Sunak, Ms Forbes wrote: âI hope you agree the fewest barriers possible should be in place to support the Covid-19 response.
âIn this time of uncertainty and national crisis, I am heartened by the many generous offers of support from organisations and industries who believe they can help the NHS.
âThere are, for example, offers from the producers of alcoholic drinks, to turn their focus and activities towards the provision of hand sanitiser, and this is my reason for writing to you.â
Ms Forbes continued: âGiven the exceptional circumstances the country is facing and the need to protect our key workers at this time, we would like to see the greatest flexibility applied â where it is clear that alcohol is being provided for the purpose of hygiene, sanitisation and medical use it should not be subject to excise or tax as a default.
âI want to see priority being given to supporting, processing and approving applications from companies who have offered to support the supply and manufacture of hand sanitiser to the NHS and other key frontline staff.
âFor organisations who do not usually operate in the area of healthcare, there are many questions around overcoming regulatory barriers, as well as ensuring excise duty is not due on key ingredients, such as alcohol, when supplied for this purpose.â
A spokesman for HM Treasury said: âSpirit distilleries authorised by HMRC to produce alcohol-based hand sanitiser are already exempt from alcohol duty.â
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country