Minimum unit pricing for alcohol

[millemg]

50p per unit ? Great, does that mean a pint in the pub will come down to a quid ????

"Charging at least 50p a unit would reduce the number of crimes by 42,500 in the first year.
After 10 years the policy would have prevented 15,000 deaths and 481,000 hospital admissions.
And it would save £9.7bn in its first decade, the research shows."
"At a unit price of 50p, the cheapest bottle of wine would rise in cost from around £3 to just under £5."

AND HOW MUCH MORE TAX REVENUE WILL IT BRING IN ?

What a load of F*KKIN nonsense..!!!

I don't care anyway, I'll just keep binge drinking from my big buckets

[trucker5774]

This policy is making me really angry.
Why can't I buy what I want from the best deal and drink it at my leisure? It just won't work. All it will do is raise more revenue.
They may as well tax heroin!
If a binge drinker wants it that badly they will steal to pay for it, steal it directly or just pay more. They won't stop drinking. It will just cost me more for the few bottles I buy in.
As above though, I'm looking forward to the pub prices dropping

[Andy]

50p in Scotland (being challenged in the courts I believe). 45p in England (dunno about other outposts).

Won't it just affect plonk + nasty lager/ales i.e. cheap booze ?

[trucker5774]

50p in Scotland (being challenged in the courts I believe). 45p in England (dunno about other outposts).

Won't it just affect plonk + nasty lager/ales i.e. cheap booze ?

In theory, but..................Ive just stocked up on a mixture of ciders and lagers which I enjoy occasionally, but many of my friends and guest also enjoy one. It was the usual deal of any 2 cases for £14. That would certainly be outlawed in the new legislation.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[Mo06]

Well I just bought a few bottles of quite drinkable Cotes du Rhone for €1.80 each, that's about £1.44.

I can't remember exactly, I think there are 4 units in a bottle of wine.....?

[oldtom]

Revenue is what it`s all about. No body in power cares if we drink ourselves to death or not. The very fact that we drink is a good enough reason to prise more money out of us.If anybody in government gave a toss about hospital addmissions or the NHS in general then they wouldn`t have private health plans to make sure they don`t have to rub shoulders with the great unwashed while they sit in a waiting room.

Tax is all it`s about.

Paul.

[cellone]

They may as well tax heroin!

The revenue would be vast but would involve the gov taking control of the U.Ks drug problem.

[speedtripledan]

Its all a con ! Same as all the taxes in the name of green... I'm pretty much self sufficient on the booze front so makes no real difference to me

[boingy]

For us it will only affect wine. We are not especially discerning wine drinkers and usually aim to spend less than £4 per bottle. That would not be possible with the proposed changes.

And, seriously, who do they think it will deter? Kids are going to find a way to get smashed whatever the cost. Adults will just adapt to the new prices.

[Loafman]

Revenue is what it`s all about. No body in power cares if we drink ourselves to death or not. The very fact that we drink is a good enough reason to prise more money out of us.If anybody in government gave a toss about hospital addmissions or the NHS in general then they wouldn`t have private health plans to make sure they don`t have to rub shoulders with the great unwashed while they sit in a waiting room.

Tax is all it`s about.

Paul.

Hit the nail on the head there Paul. Trouble is it starts at 45p or 50p a unit, then it goes up to 60p in a year or two, then 75p a year or two after that, so in 10 years it will be £1.50 or more a unit... they will continue to creep it up, just like everything else that people need or enjoy (fuel, tobacco, etc.).

Loaf.

For us it will only affect wine. We are not especially discerning wine drinkers and usually aim to spend less than £4 per bottle. That would not be possible with the proposed changes.

And, seriously, who do they think it will deter? Kids are going to find a way to get smashed whatever the cost. Adults will just adapt to the new prices.

I believe it will affect more than just wine. After all, premium beers and ales will rise just because the brewers/supermarkets will make more profit on them, mostly because if cheap drinks rise to a price that makes premium ales seem like more of a bargain, I believe they'll raise premium beer prices accordingly, in order to keep them 'Premium'.

[barney]

Doctor have you anything for my Liver.

Yes! here are some onions.

[oldbloke]

It's not about revenue - not to the govt anyway - this time. Any extra money it pulls in goes to the retailer[1], according to what various of my friends with legal backgrounds who've actually read the legislation say.
Of course, it /ought/ to go to the producer...


[1] Aside from a little bit of VAT, I spoze.

[vacant]

I'm happy give it a couple of years as an experiment.

If it reduces NHS costs and improves health, great.

If not, give me a leg-up so I can join the vocal majority who seem to be galloping away on their high horses already.

[neilmcca]

Anyone else here worried it could have a knock on effect to the price of homebrewing kits ?
maybe me being paranoid (not the first time), but i reckon this legislation could make homebrewing more popular and manufacturers may choose to exploit that,

as many have said, it's just a massive con,
what really rubs salt in the wound is this http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... ntary-pint
mp's can get rat arsed at the cheapest bar in Britain, and we (tax payers) subsidise it !

[greenxpaddy]

Its great for homebrewing and premium ale producers.

Spot on with the analysis if the shite goes up in price, the rest will just go up to maintain a differential. So producing top quality beer gets more profitable.

Just another way to skew inflation figures. Remember the dangers of deflation...? They printed loads of money, devalued the pound, rigged the price of petrol and gas and electric and now alcohol just to artificially pump up prices so it looks like there is still increasing demand - which is a pile of nonsense cos nobody has any money!