Coalition to set minimum alcohol price

[Kymmy]

Most spirits are more than £11.20 anyway so the pensioner who likes a tipple (they tend to stick to known brand names) and the person who likes a drop of Famous Grouse isn't going to be put off or made to pay more by this. It's the idiots getting stupidly drunk on bar specials or the kids clubbing together to but a bottle of white cider who will be hit.

Saying that though I voted no as I'd rather see the idiots on their night out binge drinking or the shopkeepers selling to under age drinker being made to take a lot more responsibility for their actions..

Perhaps those with excess alcohol should be made to pay for NHS care the same way as you do with car accidents, the section 5 public order £80 fines should be doubled and the shopkeepers should instantly lose their off-licences if they sell to underage.

Let's hit those breaking the law or with no common sense than those who enjoy a sensible drink.

Originally Posted by Chrysalis

I agree as well.

at weekends and summer holidays its a regular event to hear drunken school kids in the park across the road from me, in the summer they there until 2-3am drunk nearly every night.

There should be an agressive push to stop underage drinking instead of just randomly pumping up tax to punish everyone, of course the former doesnt generate tax revenues tho.

I don't believe the proposal is to use taxation to force the price up, rather it is to legislate to make it an offence to retail alcohol below a determined unit price.

[Chrysalis]

yeah I addressed the wrong thing but regardless its a bad idea.

[Alan Fry]

The trouble is that unless Scotland and Wales do the the same, there will just go on booze trips to those areas to avoid the price rise, like a lot of Brits do to France

---------- Post added at 12:59 ---------- Previous post was at 12:55 ----------

Originally Posted by Gary L

well done Dave. you're almost there in making everybody so poor that they might just give you that slap you need. and for giving them an excuse to rebel and riot.

When that time comes, he will be out of a job!

---------- Post added at 13:03 ---------- Previous post was at 12:59 ----------

Originally Posted by Chris

I don't see how this will affect the occasional drinker of wines or spirits - the proposal is for a minimum unit price for the alcohol content, not a blanket increase in duty. Most wines and spirits are already priced well above the 40p per unit level which I think would result in a bottle of wine being no cheaper than about £3.50, maybe a little less.

Generally I prefer Government not to interfere in setting prices but on the other hand I do believe government has an important role to play in public health and this has become a public health issue. I am hoping Derek may spot this thread and comment on it - he may be able to confirm just how much of his workload is the result of his customers' excessive alcohol consumption, and whether the measures already taken in Scotland are having an effect.

Remember, we all pay the NHS to deal with the short term and long term problems of alcohol!

I fell that there should be limits in where it can be sold

It would led to more "booze cruises" than ever before though, certainly this company will be pleased



---------- Post added at 13:08 ---------- Previous post was at 13:03 ----------

I think that there had been strong lobbying from major supermarkets, pub chains and ferry companies

It would be better to raise taxes on booze insted!

---------- Post added at 13:11 ---------- Previous post was at 13:08 ----------

Originally Posted by Paul M

Another crackpot idea from the ever inteferring nanny state.

This will have zero effect on the drunken louts, who will think nothing of paying a bit more for their alcohol. All this will do is put up the prices for the rest of us.

What do our nannies have lined up next, a minimum price for the sugar in soft drinks ?

If there is going to be a tax on soft drinks, this company will not be pleased