-Tory strategist demands
coonts
David Cameron should impose significant increases in taxes on beer, wine and spirits if elected prime minister, according to the man charged with leading Conservative social policy.
In an interview with The Times, Iain Duncan Smith accuses the supermarkets of ?being as close to im*oral as you can get? by selling alcohol so cheaply and of ?creating alcoholics?.
The former Tory leader says that the political parties are ?in the grip of cowardice? for failing to advocate a big jump in the cost of alcohol for fear of alienating the voters before the general election. He says the tax should be ring-fenced for spending on the treatment of alcohol-related illnesses.
?We are into unpopular territory, but to deal with something like alcohol that is damaging the fabric of the nation we need to raise prices. There is a direct connection between the price of alcohol and consumption.?
Mr Duncan Smith has been promised a Cabinet Office role to co-ordinate policy for tackling the ?broken society? if the Conservatives win power at the next general election. He says that Britain is now ?an alcoholobsessed country? and that ?the level of excess is extraordinary?.
Thousands of lives and billions of pounds could be saved each year if people drank less. ?Alcohol is every bit as dangerous as illegal drugs, you can argue that it?s more dangerous than heroin because it?s easier to get.?
Supermarkets reacted furiously to his comments. Malcolm Walker, chief executive of Iceland, dismissed the accusations as political PR. ?What has this got to do with kids acting like hooligans and having a riot down town?? he said. ?The drink problem in Britain is a youth culture issue and is nothing to do with retailers selling alcohol.?
Stephen Robertson, of the British Retail Consortium, which represents the leading supermarkets, said: ?Supermarkets are the most responsible sellers of alcohol. Irresponsible drinking is not about price. We already have some of the highest alcohol taxes in Europe. Pushing up prices won?t make a difference. Changing attitudes will and that?s what retailers are engaged in.?
Jeremy Beadles, of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, said: ?Iain Duncan Smith is totally wrong to claim that something enjoyed by millions of British adults in moderation is more dangerous than heroin and wrong again to suggest that alcoholics would be be deterred by price hikes.?
Mr Duncan Smith?s call for big increases in the cost of wine, beer and spirits goes much farther than current Conservative proposals to tackle alcohol abuse, which is fuelling antisocial behaviour and disorder on the streets.The party has pledged to increase taxes on alcopops, super-strength beers and ciders, which it says will leave responsible drinkers unaffected. It also intends to ban retailers from selling alcohol below cost price.
Earlier this month the Commons Health Select Committee called for a minimum price to be imposed on spirits and white cider. Minimum pricing has also been supported by Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer, and the Scottish government.
Mr Duncan Smith says the price of alcohol is one of the main contributing factors to the problems in society. The middle-class social drinker should have to pay as well as binge drinkers and alcoholics. ?You need an across-the-board tax. We don?t say that smokers are being punished, we say we?re taxing cigarettes for health reasons.?
coonts
David Cameron should impose significant increases in taxes on beer, wine and spirits if elected prime minister, according to the man charged with leading Conservative social policy.
In an interview with The Times, Iain Duncan Smith accuses the supermarkets of ?being as close to im*oral as you can get? by selling alcohol so cheaply and of ?creating alcoholics?.
The former Tory leader says that the political parties are ?in the grip of cowardice? for failing to advocate a big jump in the cost of alcohol for fear of alienating the voters before the general election. He says the tax should be ring-fenced for spending on the treatment of alcohol-related illnesses.
?We are into unpopular territory, but to deal with something like alcohol that is damaging the fabric of the nation we need to raise prices. There is a direct connection between the price of alcohol and consumption.?
Mr Duncan Smith has been promised a Cabinet Office role to co-ordinate policy for tackling the ?broken society? if the Conservatives win power at the next general election. He says that Britain is now ?an alcoholobsessed country? and that ?the level of excess is extraordinary?.
Thousands of lives and billions of pounds could be saved each year if people drank less. ?Alcohol is every bit as dangerous as illegal drugs, you can argue that it?s more dangerous than heroin because it?s easier to get.?
Supermarkets reacted furiously to his comments. Malcolm Walker, chief executive of Iceland, dismissed the accusations as political PR. ?What has this got to do with kids acting like hooligans and having a riot down town?? he said. ?The drink problem in Britain is a youth culture issue and is nothing to do with retailers selling alcohol.?
Stephen Robertson, of the British Retail Consortium, which represents the leading supermarkets, said: ?Supermarkets are the most responsible sellers of alcohol. Irresponsible drinking is not about price. We already have some of the highest alcohol taxes in Europe. Pushing up prices won?t make a difference. Changing attitudes will and that?s what retailers are engaged in.?
Jeremy Beadles, of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, said: ?Iain Duncan Smith is totally wrong to claim that something enjoyed by millions of British adults in moderation is more dangerous than heroin and wrong again to suggest that alcoholics would be be deterred by price hikes.?
Mr Duncan Smith?s call for big increases in the cost of wine, beer and spirits goes much farther than current Conservative proposals to tackle alcohol abuse, which is fuelling antisocial behaviour and disorder on the streets.The party has pledged to increase taxes on alcopops, super-strength beers and ciders, which it says will leave responsible drinkers unaffected. It also intends to ban retailers from selling alcohol below cost price.
Earlier this month the Commons Health Select Committee called for a minimum price to be imposed on spirits and white cider. Minimum pricing has also been supported by Sir Liam Donaldson, the Chief Medical Officer, and the Scottish government.
Mr Duncan Smith says the price of alcohol is one of the main contributing factors to the problems in society. The middle-class social drinker should have to pay as well as binge drinkers and alcoholics. ?You need an across-the-board tax. We don?t say that smokers are being punished, we say we?re taxing cigarettes for health reasons.?
