Alcohol, Minimum Unit Pricing.

[El Cid]

I totally agree, if someone wants to drink or do drugs or so on, they'll just nick pricer stuff to fund it.

 

So all potential alcoholics are thieves, or is that once they are hooked?

[phil752]

The proposal is for a minimum price of 50p per unit.

 

What's a pint? About 2.5 Units?

 

The price of a pint will be unaffected.

 

(Even a 4 unit pint of loopy juice would have a minimum price of £2)

 

6 cans a night? Crikey.

 

that's the tax of 4X50p then the price of the loopy juice as you put it. Or have I got it wrong?

Edited November 17, 2017 by phil752

[*_ash_*]

It is an evidence-based policy though, not just an idea plucked out of thin air. Of course we won't know if it works until it's rolled out properly, but given the massive social and health issues that they're trying to tackle in Scotland, i would say it's worth giving it a go.

 

and if/when it doesn't work, the only people who will reverse it will be the Torys, who will then be accused of trying to murder the poor. It's a good idea in that respect (for the ideologists)

 

Or we continue to flood the market with cheap, horrible, dangerous stuff. One example i heard was a bottle of white cider, costing £4.50, containing 22 units of alcohol. That's just asking for trouble.

 

What is the evidence of what happens to the illegal markets when 'a problem' like this is tried to be solved by government policy?

 

Or we continue to flood the market with unlicensed cheap, horrible, and more dangerous stuff in the hand of criminals. One example i heard was a bottle of white cider, costing £4.50 £3.00, containing 22 units of alcohol crap. That's just asking for trouble.

 

 

http://www.ias.org.uk/Alcohol-knowledge-centre/Price/Factsheets/Minimum-unit-pricing.aspx

 

The above lists the 6 other countries in the world using MUP and some stats on the effects.

 

I only skim read it, but didn't see any rates of increase in people importing or brewing their own stuff.

 

Helping the poor to live healthier lives is ok with me.

 

 

It IS a 'tax' on the poor (and before the ideologists say it ISN'T a tax - because they would be right - but it's ok to use terms like 'bedroom tax' so I think is fair enough) - I would add that the only thing wrong with the policy is that if they are going to roll it out, that it SHOULD be recovered in tax. As it is, the supermarkets will just make more money.

 

Poorly thought out IMO and not a good idea.

[ads36]

that's the tax of 4X50p then the price of the loopy juice as you put it. Or have I got it wrong?

 

It's a minimum price, not an additional tax.

 

The price of a pint, in a pub, will be unaffected.

[Harrystottle]

I wonder if there will be empty white vans crossing the boarder and coming south

only to return as alcohol laded white vans crossing the boarder travelling north.

 

Yes, it raises the possibility of booze cruises from Edinburgh to Berwick-on-Tweed.

The Aldi in Carlisle will do a roaring trade.

 

On a more serious note, I'm not entirely comfortable with politicians deciding that the way to make us healthier and better people is to make us pay more for something. If pricing per unit for alcohol comes in, why not pricing per calorie on chocolate? Or fat? We are told that we are in the middle of an obesity crisis, after all.

 

Sorry, I don't like this. For all the "it won't affect the price of a good bottle of wine or a pint in a pub" - maybe not yet it won't but the principle has been established, that it is perfectly acceptable to artificially inflate the price of a commodity "for our own good".

[davyboy]

I wonder if there will be empty white vans crossing the boarder and coming south

only to return as alcohol laded white vans crossing the boarder travelling north.

Very likely.

I know that people did the booze cruise and sold the stuff on.

[SnailyBoy]

Yes, it raises the possibility of booze cruises from Edinburgh to Berwick-on-Tweed.

The Aldi in Carlisle will do a roaring trade.

 

On a more serious note, I'm not entirely comfortable with politicians deciding that the way to make us healthier and better people is to make us pay more for something. If pricing per unit for alcohol comes in, why not pricing per calorie on chocolate? Or fat? We are told that we are in the middle of an obesity crisis, after all.

 

Sorry, I don't like this. For all the "it won't affect the price of a good bottle of wine or a pint in a pub" - maybe not yet it won't but the principle has been established, that it is perfectly acceptable to artificially inflate the price of a commodity "for our own good".

 

I don't agree the intention is to 'to make us healthier and better people' it's as simple as to try and stop people dying from alcohol abuse.

 

An average of 22 people a week died from alcohol-related causes in Scotland in 2015, figures show.

The figure is 54% higher than in England and Wales.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-40347942

 

It appears that education hasn't worked and some people continue to drink themselves to death.

 

I don't think they had any other alternative than to introduce minimum unit pricing.

Edited November 18, 2017 by SnailyBoy

[El Cid]

Sorry, I don't like this. For all the "it won't affect the price of a good bottle of wine or a pint in a pub" - maybe not yet it won't but the principle has been established, that it is perfectly acceptable to artificially inflate the price of a commodity "for our own good".

 

They could probably brew their own if they want cheaper alcohol, but that would be too hard, because they want a shop down the road selling cheap booze.

 

---------- Post added 18-11-2017 at 10:21 ----------

 

It IS a 'tax' on the poor (and before the ideologists say it ISN'T a tax - because they would be right.

 

We do our best, maybe not the present Government, to tax the rich; with a £12k personal allowance, inheritance tax starting at £325,000, are just 2 examples.

 

Do the poor think they should not contribute anything in taxes?

[*_ash_*]

 

We do our best, maybe not the present Government, to tax the rich; with a £12k personal allowance, inheritance tax starting at £325,000, are just 2 examples.

 

Do the poor think they should not contribute anything in taxes?

 

Nice strawman in there for good measure.

[spilldig]

Can anyone tell me what the difference it will make to my pint. I drink pretty much your average stuff eg. smiths tetleys carling etc. I pay in the region of £2.80--£3.00 a pint, and I find that's dear enough. (not a town drinker)

 

Pub beer is already far too expensive because it's taxed to the hilt now. It's usually about two units a pint so at that rate it would be about £1 a pint so will not affect pub price. What's betting it wouldn't come down in price to match.

 

---------- Post added 18-11-2017 at 12:19 ----------

 

Helping the poor to live healthier lives is ok with me.

 

So it's ok for the wealthy to ruin Thier health then?

Edited November 18, 2017 by spilldig