http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/20...ohol-price-40p
Coalition to set minimum alcohol price.
Quote:
David Cameron will risk the wrath of the drinks industry and free marketeers today by announcing his government is to introduce legislation setting a minimum alcohol price of 40p a unit in England – enough to add £135 to the annual bill of a heavy drinker.
In what is regarded as the biggest public health intervention since the Labour government's smoking ban, Cameron will also ban the sale of multi-buy discount deals in supermarkets. He is aware the policy may prove deeply unpopular, but thinks it will chime with those demanding greater social order.
The alcohol strategy follows months of Whitehall infighting over the legality, effectiveness and politics of imposing a minimum price. The aim is to introduce legislation in autumn after a summer consultation, with the minimum price coming into force in 2014.
It remains unclear how the ban on discount deals would work in practice. But Guardian analysis suggests the government's proposed minimum price alone would substantially curtail many of the high-profile drinks deals promoted by major supermarkets. Data provided by the research company Assosia, covering promotions between December and February this year, shows Tesco and Sainsbury's offered two-for-£20 deals on 20-pack crates of Strongbow cider – a sale of more than 93 units of alcohol, working out at just 21p per unit.
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l said no because it is all well and good setting a minimum pricing but this will adversely affect the normal moderate drinkers which are the vast majority of people in this country and the drinkers who consume copious amounts of alcohol will still continue to drink large amounts of alcohol no matter what the price is so in essence you are penalising the normal drinker in order to try to curb the large consumption of alcohol by the small minority of heavy drinkers.