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…, Say North West Health Campaigners.
Government proposals for minimum alcohol price levels that will ban shops and bars from selling drinks for less than the tax they pay on them are totally inadequate and will have little or no impact on improving public health, according to North West health campaigners Our Life.
Our Life believes that the government has missed an opportunity to stop supermarkets selling alcohol at pocket-money prices. Commenting on the proposals, Our Life chief executive, Dr Alison Giles, said: „These measures, which stop well short of setting a minimum unit price, will have little or no impact in tackling binge drinking and the rising tide of public order and health harms.“ (Source: Medical News Today, 01/19/11)

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