The Alcohol Strategy will have its opponents, but the British government moved to counter the critics with a series of “myth busters”.
• Myth: Proposals are going to hit consumers in the pocket during difficult times and punish responsible drinkers.
Fact: 80 per cent of alcohol purchases are made by 30 per cent of the population, and this group are the main beneficiaries of discounted alcohol. Moderate drinkers (up to 21 units a week for men and 14 units for women) would be £5 to £6 worse off a year should the MUP come into effect, statistics showed.
The average drinker would be out of pocket by £21 (€25) to £23 (€27.5) a year, and “harmful drinkers” (more than 50 units a week for men and 35 for women) would be hit by £105 (€125.5) to £135 (€161) a year.
• Myth: This is just another duty increase
Fact: No it’s not, a duty increase hits all alcohol for everyone. A minimum unit price hits cheap, harmful alcohol.
• Myth: This is another attack on the poor.
Fact: People on low incomes are the least likely to drink alcohol at all. Independent research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) shows that cheap alcohol is bought by all income groups. The factor that most determines whether you are likely to buy really cheap alcohol is not your income, but how much you drink.
• Myth: The British government is going to make money out of this − it’s just another tax.
Fact: The government will not make anything out of this. We expect supermarkets to put any extra profits they make towards lowering the price of other goods.
• Myth: Consumption is going down, why are you doing this?
Fact: Alcohol consumption in general might be going down, but binge drinking is not − among women it has been rising.