Sunday, July 08, 2007

Tories launch first salvo in Booze war

Oh no not this. In an attempt to spoil the fun of the drinking classes the Tories are floating the idea that there should be even more tax on our pleasures. Their Social Justice Policy Group is suggesting new taxes that
would add around 3p to a pint of beer, 15p to a bottle of wine and 25p to a bottle of whisky.
They might not have noticed that almost simultaneously with the rise in 'anti-social' behaviour has been a rise in taxes on all booze types.

Suggesting that this wizard idea will not be what they want it to be an attack on the binge drinking habits of our nation. but, suprise suprise, another revenue raising project. They estimate that this wheeze will raise them £400 million per anum.

Better still it is supposed to be a predicated tax. Almost always a nightmare to administer with fake projects growing like pond weed to fill the stagnant canal of tax raising.

That being said I am in two minds about the drugs suggestions. The current legislative set up doesn't work. In the slightest. So either one goes down the libertarian line (to which I am personally drawn), or you take them seriously and crack down properly. The response I reported upon a few weeks ago where villains in the clink were compensated under human rights legislation for being made to come of heroin is a joke.
Update,
It seems the Observer is on a low estimate on the revenue to be fleeced, the Mail is reporting that the take could be £1.4 billion. Duncan Smith, the report's author is defending himself over at the Sunday Telegraph. From his comments I suspect that buried within the 20 pages of policy ideas to be published on Tuesday will be some good ideas, but the headline making one is simply aweful.

2 comments:

The Aunt said...

salvo?

Gawain Towler said...

Dunno why but I never seem to check the Headline, more errors there than elsewhere.

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