Binge drinking taxes? Seriously?
Having read several reports on the proposal to impose a binge-drinking tax in the UK, I can only shake my head and wonder how we could possibly continue to miss the point so badly. The idea is to create a varying further number of levies on alcohol in the hope of discouraging young people from binge drinking. This money will go towards funding alcohol abuse programs etc.
While an admirable idea, it seems clear to me that this program cannot possibly hope to achieve its stated objective. It is the mindset of the people that needs changing in order to discourage bingeing, not the price. In other words, the issue is moral, not financial and the idea that further taxation will do anything apart from take even more money away from other needs is ludicrous. Those that insist on bingeing on alcohol will do so whether the price of a pint goes up by 7p or not. This isn't something that the government can tax into oblivion, so I don't believe they should even try.
A dedicated binge drinker will always find the funds to do so, there will simply be less money for food, etc. The incredibly high taxes on cigarettes have done nothing to stem the tide of teenage smokers. As a nation, or moral compass has gone awry of late and the celebration of mediocrity and is at an all time low. People have no respect for their bodies or minds.
I like a drink as much as the next person, but you will not find me puking my guts out on Oxford Circus at 10am. This is a choice that people have to learn to make for themselves. Otherwise we should increase taxes on junk food in order to combat obesity in the interest of fairness.
While an admirable idea, it seems clear to me that this program cannot possibly hope to achieve its stated objective. It is the mindset of the people that needs changing in order to discourage bingeing, not the price. In other words, the issue is moral, not financial and the idea that further taxation will do anything apart from take even more money away from other needs is ludicrous. Those that insist on bingeing on alcohol will do so whether the price of a pint goes up by 7p or not. This isn't something that the government can tax into oblivion, so I don't believe they should even try.
A dedicated binge drinker will always find the funds to do so, there will simply be less money for food, etc. The incredibly high taxes on cigarettes have done nothing to stem the tide of teenage smokers. As a nation, or moral compass has gone awry of late and the celebration of mediocrity and is at an all time low. People have no respect for their bodies or minds.
I like a drink as much as the next person, but you will not find me puking my guts out on Oxford Circus at 10am. This is a choice that people have to learn to make for themselves. Otherwise we should increase taxes on junk food in order to combat obesity in the interest of fairness.
posted by Monef at 8:35 AM
3 Comments:
All well and truly said. Nice to have you back in blogsville. Let's hope you remain...
Efe, you're right, of course. But government, being as it cannot moralize—and it shouldn't—does the only thing it can: tax. I wish those bastards in office would stop attempting to perform social science experiments. Life would be so much easier.
Wow, more posts from Monef! Bring it on…
One of the things I still cannot get over is the way people here go out to drink with the sole purpose of getting drunk. Everywhere else I have been, outside of the UK people go out to have a good time and if in the process they have a drink or two or three and get smashed in the process then so be it. But here, people dress up with the sole aim of going to get drunk. It's cultural and I'm not sure how you tackle it, but I suspect you're right and a tax will do little...sorry for the long post
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