A powerful alliance of health campaigners has cast "serious doubts" on the merits of the proposed late-night levy for pub operators.
The levy could "penalise and alienate" responsible licensees, the Alcohol Health Alliance has told the Government in its consultation submission into overhauling licensing.
The views from the Alliance, which is known for its tough stance on the trade, adds pressure on the Government to re-think the late-night levy, a key proposal in its plan to reform licensing.
The Alliance, which includes influential bodies such as Alcohol Concern and the Royal College of Physicians, said it understands the logic behind the levy, but had "serious doubts about how effective it would be". It also queried the "underlying approach", saying the "key drivers" of alcohol misuse were price and availability.
Unfair
While the on-trade is "part of the problem in some instances, the more troubling and wider issue lies with the proliferation of cheap alcohol sold through off-licensed premises and supermarkets".
So it would be "somewhat unfair to target on-licensed premises as a way of recovering additional costs", while ignoring the "much bigger problem" of the off-trade.
"We also believe that the proposal for a late-night levy would penalise and alienate responsible licensees and club owners unnecessarily, who are already working collaboratively with local agencies to solve problems."
The Alliance said that if the levy was introduced, the off-trade should also pay.
Paul Smith, executive director of Noctis. the body for late-night bar operators, welcomed the Alliance's views on the levy.
"It's not consistent that there's a massive bias against the on-trade in this consultation," Smith said.
Tax rises
In its submission, the Alliance urges tax rises and minimum pricing to curb cheap supermarket alcohol sales — because the proposed ban on below-cost sales "will not have an impact on consumption and will be very difficult to enforce".
Elsewhere, there's less good news for the industry, with the Alliance backing many of the proposed tough new reforms.
These include reducing the burden of proof for taking action against licences, making health bodies responsible authorities, adding a fifth licensing objective of prevention of health harm, and expanding "voluntary" closure for persistent underage sales to seven days.
The consultation closed on 8 September. A Home Office spokeswoman said final proposals, to be included in the Police Reform & Social Responsibility Bill, are expected to be announced in late October or early November.