Government To Set A Minimum Price For Alcohol
The Times is saying that the Government will be consulting on this. What I noticed was that the article was accompanied by a picture of a plastic bottle of own brand supermarket cider, which it said could treble in price.
If it increased in price by ten times, it wouldn’t bother me, as that is the sort of drink, that would make me ill, as I’m allergy to gluten, which those drinks often contain.
My preferred long drink is actually Aspall’s cyder, which is generally about a couple of pounds for a half litre. The muck shown in the article is quoted as costing about £1.20 and that’s for four times as much.
I prefer to enjoy my drinking, rather than drink to oblivion.
So I’m very much in favour of a minimum price for a unit of alcohol. It might cost me a couple of quid a week at most.
The Anonymous Widower 
I also think that charging more for alcohol is a very good idea, but I can’t see why the government doesn’t simply charge a duty based on a multiplier on the volume or weight of alcohol. What could be easier, clearer and fairer than that. The alcohol by volume (or weight) is already recorded for all drinks (legal requirement), and so why not just multiply that number by an alcohol tax rate and get the manufacturer to pay that instead of the current duty.
Comment by John Wright | November 26, 2012 |
I know that’s logical, but I suspect there’s a good reason why not.
On the subject of alcohol purchase, I often buy a couple of bottles of Aspall’s cider in a Waitrose and then pay using the self-service till. I then have to wait before my age is verified. Obviously, that’s usually a quick look up and down from someone probably less than a third my age.
Surely, something better and more efficient could be devised. After all, I always have to pay with a credit card and I suspect my credit card company, knows my age.
Comment by AnonW | November 26, 2012 |
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