Will alcohol tax reduce teenage drinking?

Labour Minister, Alistair Darling, has spoken loud and clear: Alcohol duties are to rise by 6 percent above inflation, dramatically increasing the price of beer and wine. But taxes on alcopops and strong cider will go up by only a token amount, doing little or nothing to tackle the problem of teenage binge drinking.

It is evident that the tax on alcohol will increase by six percent but this does not tackle the problem of teenage binge drinking since it only raises the purchase price by a few pence, only adding four pence to beer. Labour Minister, Alistair Darling, is positive that this increase will not only revolutionise the minds of the young but will also bring an extra £500 million for the treasury in the next financial year.

Cider which has a very strong proportion of alcohol and is one of the most popular alcoholic beverages consumed by teenagers has only been increased by a very small percentage.

This has become a major concern for the British public as they strongly believe that the imposition of tax for cider and alcopops will have little or no effect on eradicating anti-scocial behaviour amongst the teenage population or community.

A young lady, who is the daughter of the owner of a local off-licence located on Chatsworth Road, agreed to discuss the impact that the tax increase will have on her father's business as well as the effects it will have on teenagers who behave in an anti-social manner.