Alcohol on the cheap to be thing of the past

Group Political Editor

Thursday 1 September 2011

THERE is one certainty from the programme for government that Alex Salmond will announce on Wednesday: That people who buy cheap alcohol will be forced to pay more for their pleasure.

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Brian Currie Political Editor

Mr Salmond and Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon vowed to make their plan for minimum pricing per unit of alcohol a priority and, with an overall majority at Holyrood, they will succeed where they previously failed.

Even without their unbeatable voting power, they will now have more support following an about-turn by the LibDems after Willie Rennie declared his backing. Even Labour’s opposition, largely centred on claims that minimum pricing would benefit the large supermarket chains, has appeared to weaken.The Tories may well vote against, since their stance is unchanged. They want the tax and duty system to deal with the issue.That may play into Mr Salmond’s hands as one of the items on the wish-list he presented to Westminster after re-election was more power on excise duty.The biggest opposition to the minimum pricing plans will come from the drinks companies. Like their counterparts in Big Tobacco, who fought against tougher regulations, drinks firms may challenge the ban in the courts and in Europe.However, the EU allows restrictions such as a ban on below-production cost sales if the case is made that it is being done to promote health, and that is at the centre of the Scottish Government’s aims.

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Alcohol on the cheap to be thing of the past

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