Post by Neko Bazu on Mar 15, 2009 21:20:58 GMT -1
uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20090315/tuk-plan-to-double-price-of-some-alcohol-45dbed5.html
Personally, I have no problem with this suggestion. Drink from the supermarket would still be far cheaper than going down the pub, and pub prices would be unaffected, save for some promotional offers. If it helps curb binge-drinking - I mean the really problematic stuff, not the "more than three pints in an entire evening" government measurement - it can only be a good thing too, as I'm sure almost any member of the police or any nurses etc would agree.
As for Poley's remark? If families are struggling to make ends meet that badly, alcohol should probably be one of the first things they cut back on anyway - so I doubt this'd hit them too hard. I notice he represents a group funded by drinks manufacturers - not that I suspect this'd influence any statements on the issue or anything
Would it "punish sensible drinkers"? I'd say not - if you're drinking sensibly, you probably wouldn't end up spending all that much more on alcohol anyway!
(And for the record, beer's £1 a can at my local offy anyway, so I can testify that such a price is far from horrendous!)
The price of some alcoholic drinks could double under measures recommended by the Government's top medical adviser.
Minimum prices will be imposed on alcohol to curb binge-drinking if advice by Sir Liam Donaldson is accepted.
Sir Liam is set to call for a ban on drinks being sold for less than 50p per unit of alcohol, it has been reported.
The Chief Medical Officer's recommendation is expected to come in his annual report on the state of the nation's health on Monday.
Such a move would particularly affect the price of beer and wines in supermarkets, which have been regularly criticised for selling alcohol as "loss leaders".
It could see a can of beer costing at least £1 and bottles of wine a minimum of £4, depending on strength.
The move would be welcomed by many medical professionals, as alcohol-related illnesses cost the NHS £3bn a year.
The total expense to the taxpayer of alcohol misuse is thought to be £25bn a year.
But there is no suggestion that the proposal is to be adopted immediately. Ministers have been concerned in the past about being accused of punishing responsible drinkers.
David Poley, the chief executive of the Portman Group, set up by drinks manufacturers to promote sensible drinking, criticised the move.
He said it would hit the pockets of hard-working families "who are already struggling to make ends meet".
A Department of Health spokeswoman suggested that the recession could have a bearing on any decision at the moment.
"We have not ruled out taking action on very cheap alcohol - it's clearly linked to people drinking more and the subsequent harm to their health," she said.
Minimum prices will be imposed on alcohol to curb binge-drinking if advice by Sir Liam Donaldson is accepted.
Sir Liam is set to call for a ban on drinks being sold for less than 50p per unit of alcohol, it has been reported.
The Chief Medical Officer's recommendation is expected to come in his annual report on the state of the nation's health on Monday.
Such a move would particularly affect the price of beer and wines in supermarkets, which have been regularly criticised for selling alcohol as "loss leaders".
It could see a can of beer costing at least £1 and bottles of wine a minimum of £4, depending on strength.
The move would be welcomed by many medical professionals, as alcohol-related illnesses cost the NHS £3bn a year.
The total expense to the taxpayer of alcohol misuse is thought to be £25bn a year.
But there is no suggestion that the proposal is to be adopted immediately. Ministers have been concerned in the past about being accused of punishing responsible drinkers.
David Poley, the chief executive of the Portman Group, set up by drinks manufacturers to promote sensible drinking, criticised the move.
He said it would hit the pockets of hard-working families "who are already struggling to make ends meet".
A Department of Health spokeswoman suggested that the recession could have a bearing on any decision at the moment.
"We have not ruled out taking action on very cheap alcohol - it's clearly linked to people drinking more and the subsequent harm to their health," she said.
Personally, I have no problem with this suggestion. Drink from the supermarket would still be far cheaper than going down the pub, and pub prices would be unaffected, save for some promotional offers. If it helps curb binge-drinking - I mean the really problematic stuff, not the "more than three pints in an entire evening" government measurement - it can only be a good thing too, as I'm sure almost any member of the police or any nurses etc would agree.
As for Poley's remark? If families are struggling to make ends meet that badly, alcohol should probably be one of the first things they cut back on anyway - so I doubt this'd hit them too hard. I notice he represents a group funded by drinks manufacturers - not that I suspect this'd influence any statements on the issue or anything
Would it "punish sensible drinkers"? I'd say not - if you're drinking sensibly, you probably wouldn't end up spending all that much more on alcohol anyway!
(And for the record, beer's £1 a can at my local offy anyway, so I can testify that such a price is far from horrendous!)
