Raising booze tax ‘will only make shoplifting epidemic much worse’

THE SNP’s ‘alcohol tax’ will spark an explosion in shoplifting, business owners warned last night.

Earlier this month MSPs voted to raise the minimum unit price (MUP) of alcohol, meaning a bottle of wine will not legally be sold in Scotland for less than £6.09.

The charge per unit will increase from 50p to 65p from the end of September, with supporters claiming the move will help disincentivise drinking.

Critics say the policy is not working as Scotland’s drink-death rate remains the highest in the UK.

Now retail chiefs have warned raising the unit price of alcohol will also worsen the country’s shoplifting epidemic.

The Federation of Independent Retailers Scotland has already called on the Scottish Government to fund the rollout of body-worn cameras and panic buttons.

Last night the organisation’s president, Hassan Lal, a former police officer who owns a shop in Paisley, said: ‘Increasing MUP will only make things worse. We are already seeing a huge increase in incidents of shoplifting, and most of these involve thefts of alcohol.

‘What we are seeing more and more is gangs of lads coming into stores, one will come to the counter to pay for goods and the rest will just grab some alcohol and run off with it.’

He added: ‘I don’t want to criticise the police – I realise they are underfunded and understaffed – but these shoplifters know nothing will happen even if we report incidents, so it is not going to stop.’

Mr Lal’s concern comes as the 30 per cent increase in the unit price of alcohol is expected to put more pressure on family finances amid rocketing shopping bills in recent years.

At the moment, a 12.5 per cent volume bottle of wine cannot be sold for less than £4.69 but this will rise by £1.40 to £6.09, while the lowest price of a standard bottle of blended whisky will soar from £14 to £18.20.

A single 500ml can of 4 per cent volume beer or lager will rise from £1 to £1.30.

In September the federation wrote to the Scottish Government demanding that it bring in grants to help shops buy security equipment to protect staff from spiralling rates of assaults and abuse.

In a letter to Justice Minister Angela Constance, Mr Lal said: ‘We wish to bring to your attention our extreme concern over the apparent epidemic of shop crime and the level of resources Police Scotland has to deal with this.

‘We urge you to consider financial support to provide better security in small shops to help tackle this alarming situation.’ Mr Lal said a grant of £1,500 would help small businesses to improve their security. The government rejected the plea.

Data at the end of 2023 showed that over the previous five years more than 7,500 shoplifters had escaped prosecution and been issued with a warning instead.

Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Russell Findlay said: ‘More SNP bad law is yet again having a detrimental impact, in this case by fuelling a rise in alcohol theft. It’s not SNP politicians who will face the consequences but shop workers suffering threats and violence.’

Drugs and Alcohol Policy Minister Christina McKelvie said: ‘The policy strikes a reasonable balance between public health benefits, any effects on the alcoholic drinks market and impact on consumers.’

She added: ‘The government recognises the significant disruption and harm retail crime causes and condemns any violence against retail workers.’

‘They grab some alcohol and just run off with it’