Alcohol Prices Set to Rise

The sale of alcohol at below 40p per unit in shops and supermarkets has been ordered to stop by The Prime Minister.

This could cost drinkers, including us students, an estimated extra £700 million a year.

Supermarkets have already been banned from selling alcohol at a loss (this roughly sets the price to a can of larger at 38p per can and £2 for a bottle of wine).

Currently, beer and lager is taxed at about 18p a unit, wine is 19p a unit and standard spirits are around 25p a unit. On the 4th January, VAT was increased from 17.5% to 20% which is also charged on alcoholic drinks.

Before you begin to moan and groan, let’s consider the facts.

A minimum price of 30p per unit would prevent 300 deaths a year, 40p about 1,000 deaths, and 50p more than 2,000 premature deaths.

Currently alcohol is linked to more than one million people going to hospital per year and 1 in 4 alcohol related deaths are in people aged 15 to 24.

In 2006, Exeter University student, Gavin Britton drank himself to death following a golf social aged only 18. 

As a result the Guild works hard alongside local venues to encourage responsible drinking.

Earlier this year EX4 was forced to stop the sale of treble shot drinks.

As well as a minimum price, the government is planning a massive public health campaign continuing the drink-aware programme.

One suggested form of the scheme would only target cheap drinks sold in supermarkets and shops rather than in pubs (and therefore potentially clubs).

However, David Cameron faces some problems. He faces issues of legality under European Law as well as criticism over England becoming a ‘nanny state’. Plus, unless you’ve been hungover in bed for the past year you’ll be aware that England isn’t in the most stable social situation with the London Riots over the summer and groups such as Occupy Exeter campaigning against unfair wealth distribution.

Also, he’s a massive hypocrite. The Prime Minister David Cameron as well as Shadow Chancellor George Osbourne and Mayor of London Boris Johnson were all part of the Bullingdon Club which promotes excessive drinking and anti-social behaviour.

How do you feel about the potential rises in alcohol? Do you think it’s needed or do you spend enough as it is already?
 

Let us know in the comment section below…