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Minimum Pricing Of Alcohol And Its Impact On Consumption In The UK (2010)
The Scottish Government published its Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) Bill on 1st November 2011. The Bill looks to set a minimum price for a unit of alcohol as a condition of licence and also sets the formula for calculating the minimum price (based on the strength of the alcohol, the volume of the alcohol and a price per unit of alcohol).
In 2010, SAC researchers carried out work which estimated the effects of a minimum pricing policy on alcohol consumption, differentiating between alcohol bought from off-licence retailers and consumed in leisure venues. It also investigated the distributional impact such a policy would have across different socio-economic groups in the population.
The research indicated that a minimum price of 50 pence per unit (ppu) would entail a significant decrease in alcohol consumption. While higher income households were found to be heavier drinkers than their less affluent counterparts, the price rise would not affect them as much as they tend to consume more expensive drinks already above 50ppu.