Retailers join in minimum pricing criticism

The Australian Liquor Stores Association (ALSA) has joined in industry criticism of the Federal Government's proposal to introduce minimum pricing on packaged liquor, saying there is no evidence that increasing the price of alcohol will help to reduce problem drinking.

ALSA chief executive officer, Terry Mott, also told TheShout that population-wide control measures are unlikely to impact on those who should be targeted to modify their behavior.

"ALSA has consistently put the position that it does not support increased taxes on any perceived health grounds as it is people's behavior that is the issue and targeted education combined together with targeted measures and enforcement where appropriate is a better option," Mott said.

He told TheShout there is no "one silver bullet like an increase in tax to push prices up that will solve the perceived problem".

"This has been demonstrated repeatedly where the price of a alcohol beverage type or product category is artificially increased relative to other beverages, where the impact is one of further market distortion and simply results in higher consumption of other beverage types, sometimes with an overall increase in alcohol consumed or in a way that increases risk."

Source: The Shout, 17 October 2012