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Booze pricing?


observer

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Because tax is levied on drinks as a flat rate based on the type of drink (x pence on a bottle of wine, y pounds on a bottle of whisky, etc.) with little regard to its retail price or actual alcohol content.

 

So there's exactly the same tax on a ?3 bottle of wine as on a ?30 one.

 

From the point of view of controlling anti-social problem drinking the idea of a minimum unit price for alcohol is even dafter. It would significantly increase the cost of a bottle of wine, slightly increase the cost of a bottle of whisky (both of which products tend to be drunk responsibly and at home) but not affect the cost of alco-pops or premium strength bottled lagers at alll.

 

It's based on the assumption that anti-social drinkers only ever spend their money on the highest alcohol content they can get for their pound. Anyone who's ever worked behind a town centre bar or looked at what the kids hanging around on street corners are drinking, knows this is simply not true. Young problem drinkers are as image conscious about what they drink as young people are about evrything else. Generally they are drinking exactly the alco-pops and premium bottled lagers which would be unaffected by this proposal.

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Put simply, if they can tax petrol and fags, they can tax booze - presumably, some whiz in Gov can come up with legislation that does tax alcho-pops etc more, whilst leaving wine and mild/bitter alone. My concern however is, that IF booze is to cost more, it shouldn't be extra profit for the s/markets but extra revenue for cash strapped Gov. :roll:

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The minimum pricing for booze is being considered by the Scots Parliament (remember - they were first with the smoking ban :twisted: ), which then raises the issue of it either going to the s/markets in extra profit OR the Gov boosting it's revenue intake. The Gov WILL be increasing taxes (as well as cutting public services) as part of it's austerity prog - so it doesn't matter what I think - we'll all be paying more, and getting less. :roll:

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Bit behind the times there Obs, the Scottish MSPs threw out the proposal over a week ago.

 

http://www.uknetguide.co.uk/Latest-News/Minimum-alcohol-price-plans-defeated-by-MSPs-800078853.html

 

The Health minister may say that she is determined to "resurrect" the plan (which is kind of another way of acknowledging that it's already dead), but the lack of any information confirming or denying whether the money generated will simply go into the supermarkets pockets will ensure that the result will be the same next time round too.

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