The WSTA is leading the Why Should Responsible Drinkers Pay More? campaign to kick off the debate with consumers about the impact that the government’s plans to push up alcohol prices through minimum pricing will have on them.

Family budgets are increasingly stretched by rising inflation, higher fuel and energy costs and wage freezes. The government’s own figures show minimum pricing will cost consumers more than £1bn extra per year.

A minimum unit price of 50p would see 65% of prices in shops and supermarkets rise overnight. A bottle of wine would rise from £3.69 to £4.88 while a bottle of vodka would rise from £9 to £13.13. It is disingenuous for the government to say the proposals will not have an impact on the responsible majority. Our members seek to offer best value to consumers and it is unfair that those who shop wisely and seek out good value are being labelled as binge drinkers by the government. It seems to miss the point that ordinary consumers will be hit hardest by minimum unit pricing while those who drink to excess will be the least affected.

” Those who seek good value are being labelled binge drinkers”

The proposal will have the biggest impact on those on the lowest incomes. Research from the Centre for Economics and Business Research shows that the lowest 30% of earners will bear the brunt of the hikes.

Supporters of the government’s plans appear oblivious to the fact that the people who will be hit by it are the pensioners enjoying the odd tipple, or the working parent who buys a weekly £4 bottle of wine to relax after a hard week.

Supporters of minimum unit pricing also tend to forget that experience from around the world calls into question the idea that price rises curb problem drinking. The UK has among the highest-priced alcohol in Europe yet there is no evidence that our high prices have prevented alcohol misuse. In fact, it is high-tax/high-price countries like Sweden and the UK that tend to have a problem with alcohol misuse, whereas low tax/low price countries like Spain and Italy do not.

Academics from the University of Sheffield, whose research is used to support the Government’s plans, are on record saying the claims about the impact of minimum unit pricing on binge-drinking have been ‘overstated’.

So, what should the government do to tackle alcohol misuse? Our members believe there should be tougher enforcement of existing regulations, alongside more and better alcohol education and a focus on targeted, evidence-based local solutions such as community alcohol partnerships. They also believe that those responsible for the antisocial behaviour blighting communities should be punished.

Our recent COMRES polling shows that fewer than one in five support the government’s plans to set higher prices for alcohol, while 62% believe increasing the price will not reduce alcohol-related antisocial behaviour.

The campaign website www.whyshouldwepaymore.co.uk provides ways to get involved in the debate, including a handy calculator to show the impact of minimum unit pricing on a range of drinks, as well as options to sign our petition and tweet or email your MP.

Miles Beale is chief executive of the WSTA

Topics