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Friday, October 15, 2010

National support booze industry profits over social cost


Alcohol cheaper to buy than water
Alcohol has become so affordable that it is cheaper than bottled water and approaching the price of milk, says a study made public today. The Otago University research, published in the New Zealand Medical Journal, shows alcohol became increasingly affordable in the 10 years to last year.

The liberalization of the booze industry under Labour has been exacerbated by National promoting booze industry profits over and above social cost. The Booze industry bombarded the Government in the run up to their weak response to the booze culture and it showed...

So now we know why National have gone for 'it's all the kids fault' booze policy and have chosen not to do anything real about booze by tackling Supermarket loss-leading booze practices, not lowering the blood alcohol limit to stop NZers driving legally drunk so that men can drink 7 stubbies and still be considered 'under the limit' when anywhere else (Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Norway, Russia and Sweden) they would all be well over the limit, and not increasing the price of tax on booze in the way we have done with cigarettes.

..this latest research shows that supermarkets and the booze industry have conspired to create an alcohol environment that beggers belief, that booze could be cheaper than water suggests something deeply at fault in the regulatory system.

National should put the profits of the Supermarkets and Booze Industry to one side, reflect on the social damage booze causes and with the lovingly crushing hand of Government regulation impose a 'social damage tax' on top of booze industry profits alongside a tax increase on the product itself while withdrawing booze sales from Supermarkets altogether.

National have been incredibly weak on booze to protect industry interests over and above social interests. Those who sell and profit from the drug should be forced to pay for it's clean up as well.

6 Comments:

At 15/10/10 11:21 am, Anonymous sdm said...

Is it a price issue or is it a society issue. When I was in europe, you could get a carafe of house win for a few euros - far far cheaper than water or juice. But alcohol is respected there. In other words, price isnt the problem.

 
At 15/10/10 11:24 am, Anonymous Hayley said...

I like the sound of a 'social damage tax'!

 
At 15/10/10 1:40 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Only goes to show the insane price of bottled water.

 
At 15/10/10 3:44 pm, Anonymous Chris said...

Large buying groups have also helped to produce an environment where quantity of cheap wine over quality wine is being produced to meet demand, and as a result our wine industry is suffering a major reputation crisis at the moment. Keeping prices of alcohol down and supply up is not good for anybody, let alone the young and the poor who are more likely to be price tag orientated.

 
At 15/10/10 8:07 pm, Anonymous bc said...

Yep bottled water is an absolute rip-off. I'm constantly amazed people buy it, but as the saying goes "there's a sucker born every minute".
Give me a cold beer on a hot day over a bottle of water anytime!

 
At 15/10/10 8:50 pm, Anonymous Simon said...

It really just shows what some giant tits will pay for water!

 

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