Anti-alcohol alliance group formed
A new anti-alcohol lobby group has been set up with the aim of increasing tax on alcohol by 10%.
The Alcohol Health Alliance will be formed from 21 groups, headed by the Royal College of Physicians, and including others such as Alcohol Concern and the British Liver Trust.
Alcohol Concern as an individual organisation is certainly pushing for a rise in alcohol taxSrabeni SenAlcohol Concern
Reports suggest its main aim will be to lobby MPs for an increase in alcohol tax, although talks are at an early stage.
"It's basically a collection of organisations that have a shared objective to reduce the amount of harm that alcohol causes to peoples health and society as a whole," Alcohol Concern chief executive Srabeni Sen told the MA.
"We will look at how we can work together to achieve common objectives. To my knowledge our objective regarding alcohol tax has not been published or indeed clarified as yet.
"Alcohol Concern as an individual organisation is certainly pushing for a rise in alcohol tax because we believe that there is a significant body of evidence that shows that price is a key way in which you can reduce overall levels of alcohol harm.
"This applies in particular to vulnerable groups like under age drinkers for whom the price of alcohol has a disproportionate impact and problem drinkers."
The Government will conduct its own independent review of the relationship between drinks pricing and harm.
The review panel is due to report in April.
One other aim of the organisation is expected to be to push for greater restrictions on or a possible ban on alcohol advertising.
Posters on the MA forum have long warned that alcohol would be the new tobacco after the smoking ban.
If reports prove to be true - it seems the industry is in for a rough ride.
The group is formed as the doctor responsible for setting the safe alcohol limits in 1987 admitted it was not based on scientific evidence.
