BEVVY LEVY
This bottle of cider will go from £3 to £11.25
THE ruling to allow the Scottish Government to bring in minimum pricing of alcohol on health grounds has been largely welcomed.
The plan for a £50p per unit will increase the price of the cheapest, but strongest, ciders and lagers and put up the cost of a supermarket own brand bottle of whisky and vodka.
Shona Robison, the Health Secretary, said she will be looking to put the policy in place as quickly as possible after a five year delay due to the court case.
As reported in later editions of the Evening Times yesterday, the Scotch Whisky Association has been trying to have the policy ruled illegal but reached the end of the legal road when the UK Supreme Court rejected their final appeal.
The court’s seven judges rejected appeal based on the arguments the argument that minimum pricing was disproportionate and breached EU law.
The judges ruled that minimum pricing “is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim”.
It was argued that using duty on alcohol could be used to regulate the price and there was no need for a minimum price
However, the judgement stated that minimum pricing targeted the health hazards of cheap alcohol in a way the tax system would not.
Ms Robison said: “This has been a long journey and in the five years since the Act was passed, alcohol related deaths in Scotland have increased. With alcohol available for sale at just 18 pence a unit, that death toll remains unacceptably high.”
The plan would see the cost of a 3 litre bottle of cheap cider at 22.5 units costing a minimum of £11.25, which can sometimes be sold for around £3.
Supermarket own brand vodka at 37.5% ABV containing 26 units will cost £13.
Most branded whiskies and spirits will not be affected as they already cost more than the 50p per unit.
Buckfast Tonic wine will also not be affected as at 15% ABV and a 750ml bottle containing 11.25 units is already sold at more than the minimum price would be.
The drinks industry is split over the plan while health campaigners and charity groups said it was long overdue.
The SWA said it accepted the decision but said that there needs to be measures to protect jobs.
Meanwhile C&C Group, which owns Tennent’s Lager, said it was fully in support and congratulated the Scottish Government.
Political opponents were also mixed in their response. The Liberal Democrats calling for an early intro- duction and the Greens also backing the plan.
Labour however said it was not a “silver bullet” and used the announcement to criticise SNP cuts to support services for drug and alcohol addiction.
The licensed trade was in favour but groups representing drinkers said it was
Ton Stainer of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), said: “We think governments would achieve more by focussing on reducing beer duty and business rates to help pubs survive and continue to provide a vital community service.”
While Paul Waterson of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association said: “Cheap priced alcohol has turned Scotland into a nation of stay-at-home drinkers. When people drink in uncontrolled environments, alcohol-related problems increase significantly.”
The health act to bring in minimum pricing was passed by the Scottish Parliament in 2012 but a series of legal challenges by the Scotch Whisky association delayed its implementation.
Alison Douglas, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: “Today’s decision is a massive victory for Scotland’s health and for our democracy. Minimum unit pricing will save the lives of hundreds of Scots and improve the lives of thousands more.
“The Scotch Whisky Association has consistently obstructed it, putting their members’ profits over the health of the people of Scotland.”