The Conservative Party is planning a "treatment tax" on beer, wine and spirits to raise up to £1.4bn a year to help alcoholics and drug addicts. It could put 7p on the price of a pint of beer, 20p on a bottle of wine and 70p on a bottle of whisky. The proposals are part of 200 recommendations to be made this week by the party's social justice policy group. Currently 31p of the price of every pint, £1.29 of every bottle of wine and £5.48 of every 70cl bottle of spirits goes to the Treasury. But the group, chaired by former party leader Iain Duncan Smith, believes that making booze more expensive would reduce the amount consumed, cut binge-drinking and help stem alcohol abuse. The report says the increased tax would also provide funding to "meet the social and economic costs of alcohol-related harm, such as police enforcement measures resulting from binge-drinking and violence, health service costs and treatment for addicts". The Mail on Sunday 08/07/07 page 1 The Sunday Express 08/07/07 page 4