Alcohol. Minimum unit pricing.

[Leekbrookgull]

So our friends the 'bagpipes' could well see M/u pricing of alcohol,their coalition govt (Lib/Snp ?) is keen to see it start at 45p per unit. For me this is just another stealth tax that could well become law here. I fail to see why many people up and down the U/K should pay more. Sure Nightime binge drinking can be a problem in cities and large towns,but most are not into that scene. Many simply want to enjoy a few beers or some wine at the end of the day in their own surroundings.

 

[Scampi]

You've got to be drinking some pretty fouls meths if you're paying less than 45p a unit.

 

[Postman Pat]

Surely if the cost of alcohol rises to make spirits £15 a bottle, more people will turn to drugs as they will be cheaper and untaxed. Isn't that a bigger problem?

Anyway alcohol consumption was down 6% last year across pubs, supermarkets etc...

The additional cost will not be tax, will line the pocket of the producers or the supermarket.... tescos get richer!

 

[The Grockle]

In my opinion alcohol should be much more heavily taxed when sold in shops with much less taxation on pub and restaurent brought alcohol.

It's no wonder pubs are struggling when you buy a crate of beer in the supermarket for little more than a tenner, there also seems to be a modern trend for people to get wasted at home on cheap booze then hitting town which not only effects the pub trade but also imo, fuels antisocial behaviour.

 

[sjamesb3466]

The UK has some of the highest alcohol tax in Europe and yet we still have a systemic alcohol problem. Hmmmm maybe a social issue rather than a cheap booze issue then!

I work in a pub and I can honestly say that high alcohol tax is killing business because its cheaper to buy booze from the supermarket and drink at home. Here is surely the problem? In a good pub/bar/club you should be restricted on the amount of alcohol you are allowed to consume, as once drunk no more alcohol should be served. However expensive pub booze has led to people drinking heavily before leaving the house which leads to problems later in the night.

Surely alcohol should be treated as a drug and that the best place for its consumption is in a restricted yet sociable place like the pub. Higher taxation will simply exacerbate our current problems as supermarkets will always be able to keep prices down and undercut our pubs

Sorry for the long reply. It just pisses me off!

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

There's prob a major case for taxing alcohol til it hurts in the UK. Ever see Scandinavians in the Canaries? They go absolutely alco-mental and make Brits look like lightweights cos their alcohol is so heavily taxed that they only ever get seriously pissed at home before they go out for a night out. So... using the Scando Experience as a model, it would appear that seriously whacking tax on alcohol would drive the problem a) into the home and b) into the Canaries, all of which would make the UK streets a bit more pleasant on a Saturday night and relieve the pressure on the NHS.

 

[bhaexpress]

Surely if the cost of alcohol rises to make spirits £15 a bottle, more people will turn to drugs as they will be cheaper and untaxed. Isn't that a bigger problem?

Anyway alcohol consumption was down 6% last year across pubs, supermarkets etc...

The additional cost will not be tax, will line the pocket of the producers or the supermarket.... tescos get richer!

Is the correct answer, raising the price won't stop people drinking, with the people they are trying to target it will just make them more desperate.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Surely minimum unit pricing is good for the pub trade as supermarkets wont be able to sell booze at rock bottom prices anymore ?

 

[Postman Pat]

Surely minimum unit pricing is good for the pub trade as supermarkets wont be able to sell booze at rock bottom prices anymore ?

Depends where the extra cash goes. Say it costs 20p to make a can of medium strength lager and the Gov tax it by 10p, if minimum price is 45p, who gets the extra 15p??

The sort of price they are talking about will still not make buying cheap booze at the supermarket unappealing. £1 for a can of lager rather than £3.50 in a pub.

This is another instance of the nanny state hurting everyone to 'protect' the small minority who can't be trusted.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I'm well out of the loop with this, can someone tell me what research has been done into this 45p thing. I'm intrigued as to the science behind it.

 

[Postman Pat]

I'm well out of the loop with this, can someone tell me what research has been done into this 45p thing. I'm intrigued as to the science behind it.

The school of finger in the air science. They suggested 40p, but decided 45p would be better..... for no apparent reason.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

The school of finger in the air science. They suggested 40p, but decided 45p would be better..... for no apparent reason.

But if someone asks 'why 45p' there must be an answer?

 

[Postman Pat]

Nicola Sturgeon said that by introducing a minimum 45p per unit price, there would be 50 fewer deaths in the first year after the policy was implemented, a £5.5m reduction in health care costs and 1,200 fewer hospital admissions from alcohol-related conditions.

The measures are aimed at curbing Scotland's drinking culture
She said: "Getting the price right is vital for minimum pricing to work - too low and it will simply be ineffective.

"After careful consideration, we believe that 45p per unit is the right price

 

[dougdeep]

If it's only 50p a unit then it won't affect me. I only drink quality stuff.

 

[seagullsovergrimsby]

Nicola Sturgeon said that by introducing a minimum 45p per unit price, there would be 50 fewer deaths in the first year after the policy was implemented, a £5.5m reduction in health care costs and 1,200 fewer hospital admissions from alcohol-related conditions.

The measures are aimed at curbing Scotland's drinking culture
She said: "Getting the price right is vital for minimum pricing to work - too low and it will simply be ineffective.

"After careful consideration, we believe that 45p per unit is the right price

Those figures seem a bit low , are they for the whole of Scotland or just a medium sized town with a 100,000 population ?

 

[sydney]

7,8 or 9 everything else is meaningless........

 

[Postman Pat]

Those figures seem a bit low , are they for the whole of Scotland or just a medium sized town with a 100,000 population ?

If agreed, the change would see a two-litre bottle of Tesco brand cider go from £1.32 to £3.80, while Asda whisky would rise from £9.20 to £12.60.

Opposition parties at Holyrood intend to unite to block the policy as they say it would hit responsible drinkers.

But Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon has maintained that costs would only rise for high-strength products sold at rock-bottom prices.

According to the government's figures, there would be no change in the cost of brands like Bell's, Whyte & Mackay or Johnnie Walker, which all currently retail above £14.

So it's clear they are trying to hit the 'working class' drinker and not the middle classes who can afford 'name' brands of alcohol.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

Scotlands drinking culture is THEIR problem,not ours. :albion1:

 

[Robbie G]

Scotlands drinking culture is THEIR problem,not ours. :albion1:

England also has a drinking culture, don't forget.

 

[ryeseagull]

In my opinion alcohol should be much more heavily taxed when sold in shops with much less taxation on pub and restaurent brought alcohol.

It's no wonder pubs are struggling when you buy a crate of beer in the supermarket for little more than a tenner, there also seems to be a modern trend for people to get wasted at home on cheap booze then hitting town which not only effects the pub trade but also imo, fuels antisocial behaviour.

I agree.