Get your mitts off my pint!!!

[Mr Mystery]

Quick bit of relevant threadomancy (to prevent me starting a new one).

So, proposals are underway to offer a minimum unit price of alcohol, suggesting around 50p.

Now I'm not economic or health expert, but I'm not sure this is actually the best answer. What is, I hear you ask?

Simple. To stop binge drinking, don't whack up the price of cheap booze.... Just limit the sale of it specifically to Off Licenses and Pubs. Boom. They tend to have the biggest overheads. No more booze as a loss leader, making it already more expensive without unnecessary legislation. And as an upswing, the sadly maligned, and generally exceptionally responsible Publican and Licensee will see an upsurge in sales, protecting jobs. Supermarkets not being able to sell booze won't affect them one iota, on account they already flog it at a loss in order to lure people in in a childish competition.

Could pubs then lower their prices? Sure they could. But you'd still have (for the most part) a level headed publican being able to refuse further service.

Biggedy biggedy bong, several problems tackled with a single piece of legislation, and to the satisfaction of the vast majority I'd wager.

[Psychosplodge]

It's wrong anyway it's collective punishment (human rights violation?) there are are millions of poorly paid workers who buy in bulk when appropriate offers are on and make it last. Why should they be punished because some muppets can't hold their beer?

The other point is most 18 year olds 80-90% of their income is probably disposable. So if they want to get **** faced it'll just cost them more, but they'll be able to pay it.

[Wildeybeast]

As I understand it, it won't make much difference. Most alcohol sales would be over the minimum price threshold anyway. It will basically only affects the likes of White Lightning and Special Brew - high strength, low cost stuff that only your hardened alcoholic touches. Your crate of fosters for £20 from the local supermarket is unlikely to be affected. I may have said this earlier in the thread, but the problem is not alcohol pricing but food. Most pubs serve food nowadays and that is where they make their profit. They have to pay restaurant levels of VAT on it. Supermarkets don't so their food costs are much cheaper meaning they can afford sell alcohol as a loss leader, pubs simply can't afford to do that.
Your plan won't work Mystery. A) I don't see how they can possibly create a 'fair' law which allows sales in offies but not supermarkets and b) they will cry to the European Competition Commission and such restriction of trade will get booted out by them. Far better to whack up their tax on food, which generates extra money for the state and forces them to raise beer prices to compensate for the loss of earning (since they won't dare raise food prices).

[Wolfshade]

I think that the better way to deal with this issue is to make it vat-able at point of sale in supermarkets.

[Wildeybeast]

It already is. They pay the same VAT on booze as everywhere else, it's just they can afford to use it as loss leader (same way they do with petrol) because they make a killing on food.

[Denzark]

There is a legal challenge in Scotland which already introduced a minimum price. Not doing anything the Salmond Creature does is reason enough not to follow suit here, anyhoo. But there is talk a similar challenge will be mounted if English/Welsh law tries to impose a minimum. Using the European Law system! It might be the single best thing the EU does for us.

I hope this never comes to pass.

[Psychosplodge]

As I understand it, it won't make much difference. Most alcohol sales would be over the minimum price threshold anyway.

It won't affect drinking in pubs.

It will affect the offers like the two crates for £12 and similar that supermarkets put on in BBQ season.