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More states and local communities are allowing sales of hard liquor and other alcohol on Sunday, USA Today reported Nov. 18.
In 2002, 22 states allowed Sunday liquor sales. Now, only 14 states and the District of Columbia do not allow Sunday liquor sales.
Some communities that permitted Sunday alcohol sales already, have changed starting hours for selling alcohol to earlier in the day. Michigan made it legal this month to sell alcohol as early as 7 a.m., while Arizona in July pushed legal starting hours from 10 a.m. to 6 a.m. (Source: Join Together, 11/23/10) our Online-Comment: The state gets some little tax money and the Public has more social costs to pay. The balance is negative in most cases. The profit is at the alcohol industry.

Islamic Gov’t Denies Religious Motivation
Turkey’s Islamist-rooted conservative government introduced another 30% tax hike on alcohol in late October, drawing protests from drinkers, cafe owners and beverage producers.
The price of alcoholic beverages has shot up 129% since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power eight years ago. By contrast, the Consumer Price Index rose 79% during the same period.
A one-litre bottle of raki now costs about $35. That’s a lot to pay in a country where the minimum annual wage is around $400 and the average monthly income is around $1000. More and more Turks are opting for beer and wine, which are cheaper than the traditional raki.
“There has been a 34% decrease in alcohol consumption from 2003 to 2008,” reports a study by the Bahcesehir University’s research centre BETAM. “Parallel to the tax hikes, sale prices are increasing and consumption is decreasing.” BETAM’s study shows that the government successfully boosted its revenues by almost 50% in the last seven years by imposing and consistently increasing the Special Consumption Tax on alcoholic beverages…. (Source: Google Alcohol News,11/20/10) weaselzippers.us, 11/19/10 our Online-Comment: Most of the people commenting here didn’t understand the result of the tax rise: Consumption of alcoholic beverages went down 34%! We could have the same effect in Europe if our governments would have the courage to do the same. And we would also save a lot of money for alcohol-related social costs and enjoy more quality of life. But Europeans are not informed and cannot protest when the governments are under the pressure of the alcohol industry. That’s our „freedom“!

Alcoholic drinks served in pubs should be taxed at a lower level than drinks bought from shops, says an expert in this week’s BMJ. This action would deliver the health benefits associated with introducing a minimum price on alcohol, increase tax revenue for the Treasury and save pubs says Dr Nick Sheron. The author is head of clinical hepatology at the University of Southampton, a member of the Alcohol Health Alliance and an advisor for the 2010 House of Commons Select Committee Report on Alcohol. If, argues Sheron, the VAT policy that exists on take-away and eat-in food and drink was applied to alcohol but in reverse, then the minimum price on alcohol could be increased to deliver public health benefits. This move would also increase revenue for the Treasury and prices on drinks would not increase in the local pub. (Source: Google Alcohol News) BMJ-British Medical Journal/sciencecodex.com, 11/19/10

It took more than $2 million dollars in campaign donations, but Big Alcohol emerged victorious at the Massachusetts ballot box: 52% of voters approved Measure One to repeal the state’s 6.25% sales tax on alcoholic beverages. This narrow majority will cost the state of Massachusetts more than $100 million in revenue, while simultaneously increasing the costs of alcohol-related harm that the state must cover...Read More.

A statewide commission will urge legislators to create a drug czar to oversee drug and alcohol addiction programs.
Healthcare costs associated with alcohol and drug abuse amounted to $3.2 billion during 2006 in Oregon – while 70 percent of people who were incarcerated had a substance abuse problem. Attorney General John Kroger made this quite clear when he spoke to a legislative health policy committee recently. (Source: Google Alcohol News, 11/17/10) thelundreport.org, 11/15/10

…Says BMA Scotland.
The BMA in Scotland today (Wednesday 10 November 2010) called on the Conservatives, Liberal Democrat and Labour MSPs to reconsider their opposition to minimum pricing as they prepared to debate the Alcohol etc (Scotland) Bill for the final time. (Source: Medical News Today, 11/10/10)

Nicola Sturgeon is following the best medical advice in seeking a minimum unit price for alcohol. Improving Scotland’s unhappy association with booze should be based on that, not on petty party politics, writes Alan Cochrane. (Source: Google Alcohol News, 11/10/10) telegraph.co.uk, 11/10/10

Supporters of a successful Massachusetts ballot initiative to repeal the state’s year-old 6.25 percent sales tax on alcohol outspent opponents by more than 10 to 1, the Boston Globe reported Nov. 4.
The Beer Distributors of Massachusetts alone donated more for Question One on the state ballot than did opponents of the measure. In all, supporters of eliminating the tax raised more than $2 million, while the Committee Against Repeal of the Alcohol Tax raised not quite $200,000. (According to the No on 1 Campaign, the fundraising margin between supporters and opponents was 15 to 1.)
The fundraising led to an ad blitz that helped narrowly win repeal; supporters garnered 52 percent of the votes on Nov. 2. (Source: Join Together, 11/05/10)

Massachusetts voted to repeal a 6.25 percent alcohol tax, and Washington has blocked at least one measure seeking to privatize liquor distribution. Meanwhile, California approved Prop. 26, possibly negating efforts to require the alcohol industry, among others, to pay for the harm caused by their products. (Source: Join Together, 11/03/10)

New research showing that some alcohol in New Zealand (NZ) costs less than bottled water spurred a leading medical organization to come out against the NZ government’s decision not to raises taxes on alcohol.
In a related news release, the New Zealand Medical Association (NZMA) called on the NZ government to reconsider its recent decision not raise the excise tax on alcohol — a decision that ran counter to the evidence provided by the NZ Law Commission (pdf), the government-funded agency charged with making informed policy recommendations.
„One of the consequences of alcohol being promoted and sold at pocket-money prices is that we risk losing sight of its status as a legal drug, capable of causing serious harm to others,” said Law Commission President Geoffrey Palmer. (Source: Join Together, 10/22/10)