Scotland has today introduced a minimum unit price for alcohol

dl8860 · 1 May 2018 at 12:56

I think the law will be effective. I was only saying that I could imagine a couple of retailers near the border doing well out of it, not that the entire measure will be undermined by people skimming a profit.

Energize · 1 May 2018 at 13:13

Like all taxes of its kind it's just another weak excuse to get the government more money. When the government say it will improve public health, many people just lap it up without thought.

When it fails to reduce deaths the government will blame something else and tax that instead. Sugar being a case in point.

adolf hamster · 1 May 2018 at 13:15

Energize said:
Like all taxes of its kind it's just another weak excuse to get the government more money. When the government say it will improve public health, many people just lap it up without thought.

i don't doubt improving public health was the original intention, it's just that we know where a conversation that starts with "well there's 2 ways to solve this and 1 of them makes money" will end up in a government comittee.

Tefal · 1 May 2018 at 13:16

Energize said:
Like all taxes of its kind it's just another weak excuse to get the government more money.

It's not a tax!!!

vanpeebles · 1 May 2018 at 13:17

I wonder if shops on the other side of the border will make a fortune now?

Zechris · 1 May 2018 at 13:28

vanpeebles said:
I wonder if shops on the other side of the border will make a fortune now?

On the sale of cheap, super strength alcohol? How much margin do you think there is in these products? Remember, the drinks we're speaking about usually come in 3 litre bottles.

Psycho Sonny · 1 May 2018 at 13:28

touch said:
Yes, I agree with you.

I think the minimum pricing is a good thing. But denying that there will be a black market for cheap imported alcohol is completely wrong IMO.

that market was already there.

nobody is going to be bringing truckloads of frosty over the border. you think local shops won't (pardon the pun) shop them?

Psycho Sonny · 1 May 2018 at 13:29

Energize said:
Like all taxes of its kind it's just another weak excuse to get the government more money. When the government say it will improve public health, many people just lap it up without thought.

When it fails to reduce deaths the government will blame something else and tax that instead. Sugar being a case in point.

it's not a tax.

as i've already stated it costs the same to buy for retailers.

Psycho Sonny · 1 May 2018 at 13:30

vanpeebles said:
I wonder if shops on the other side of the border will make a fortune now?

the type of people who buy frosty jack aren't the types to be buying in bulk. so nope.

touch · 1 May 2018 at 13:36

Psycho Sonny said:
that market was already there.

nobody is going to be bringing truckloads of frosty over the border. you think local shops won't (pardon the pun) shop them?

I'm not saying that it will be run as a legitimate business from a high street store. Local shops wont shop them because they wont know anything about it.

Woden · 1 May 2018 at 14:11

adolf hamster said:
i don't doubt improving public health was the original intention, it's just that we know where a conversation that starts with "well there's 2 ways to solve this and 1 of them makes money" will end up in a government comittee.

The government isn’t getting the money. It’s a minimum price, not a tax.

Mucky_Pup · 1 May 2018 at 14:11

Goodbye to any decent multipack deals in Scottish supermarkets this summer then. Just hope it doesn't come into force in England in the future, it's pointless virture signalling, which is more likely to affect average people who may want a drink every now and then, genuine alcoholics will continue to drink as they do to the detriment of anything else. I suppose if you starve all the alcoholics to death because they'll buy alcohol instead of food now, or freeze them to death in the winter because they'll spend their gas money on alcohol now, you do technically reduce the number of alcoholism related illnesses the NHS has to deal with, so maybe that's what they mean by it'll save people from alcohol induced illnesses.

adolf hamster · 1 May 2018 at 14:13

Woden said:
The government isn’t getting the money. It’s a minimum price, not a tax.

fair point, although presumably they'll be making it back from the companies affected in the form of more corporation tax, they'll get it one way or another they're just getting sneakier about it.

Zechris · 1 May 2018 at 14:15

Mucky_Pup said:
Goodbye to any decent multipack deals in Scottish supermarkets this summer then. Just hope it doesn't come into force in England in the future, it's pointless virture signalling, which is more likely to affect average people who may want a drink every now and then, genuine alcoholics will continue to drink as they do to the detriment of anything else. I suppose if you starve all the alcoholics to death because they'll buy alcohol instead of food now, or freeze them to death in the winter because they'll spend their gas money on alcohol now, you do technically reduce the number of alcoholism related illnesses the NHS has to deal with, so maybe that's what they mean by it'll save people from alcohol induced illnesses.

Wow, that sure is some way to stereotype alcoholics.

AHarvey · 1 May 2018 at 14:18

Woden said:
The government isn’t getting the money. It’s a minimum price, not a tax.

Don't you have VAT on alcoholic drinks? 20% of £12.50 is more than 20% of £3.50

touch · 1 May 2018 at 14:25

Mucky_Pup said:
it's pointless virture signalling, which is more likely to affect average people who may want a drink every now and then

No it's not.
It's going to have almost no impact on average people.
Taking tesco as an example, they have a 12 pack of peroni on offer at the moment for £14.50 the new law would require the minimum price for this to be £10.10, so no change there then.
It's the people who buy cheaper stuff that will be effected, not average people buying midrange stuff.

Dis86 · 1 May 2018 at 14:25

Freakbro said:
The issue is you don't not implement a law like this just because other people will break the law trying to circumvent it. You police the people then subsequently breaking the law.

What you've described there is pretty much most people's argument for legalizing illegal drugs!

Psycho Sonny · 1 May 2018 at 14:28

touch said:
No it's not.
It's going to have almost no impact on average people.
Taking tesco as an example, they have a 12 pack of peroni on offer at the moment for £14.50 the new law would require the minimum price for this to be £10.10, so no change there then.
It's the people who buy cheaper stuff that will be effected, not average people buying midrange stuff.

this guy gets it.

It has absolutely zero effect on people buying decent alcohol.

if your buying turps then yes it will effect you.

mmj_uk · 1 May 2018 at 14:30

vanpeebles said:
I wonder if shops on the other side of the border will make a fortune now?

Of course. Any entrepreneur worth their salt will be setting up off licenses on the border that's why Scotland are so keen for England to follow.

I'm not sure of the health benefits either, it's just going to drive a lot of people to black market booze with alcohol diluted with all manner of liquids, one of the main arguments for legalised drugs is that at least if bought through the proper channels the drugs are as safe as they can be.

Zechris · 1 May 2018 at 14:40

mmj_uk said:
Of course. Any entrepreneur worth their salt will be setting up off licenses on the border that's why Scotland are so keen for England to follow.

I'm not sure of the health benefits either, it's just going to drive a lot of people to black market booze with alcohol diluted with all manner of liquids, one of the main arguments for legalised drugs is that at least if bought through the proper channels the drugs are as safe as they can be.

May I ask who you think the customers will be that are driving to the border to buy these?