The chief executive of Diageo has warned of the dangers of government imposing a minimum price for alcohol and has instead called for a society where individuals take responsibility for their own actions.
Speaking at the launch of a new book entitled Working Together to Reduce Harmful Drinking, Paul Walsh said: “Government involvement in pricing is a very dangerous precedent.
“Secondly there is no evidence that pricing will address the issue. Also 70% or 80% of consumers drink alcohol in line with government guidelines so why penalise them by making them pay higher prices.
“It is also not clear that the government has proved that they are competent and will be able to enact such legislation.
“Global solutions will not be found in headline-grabbing quick fixes but in long-term strategies based on sound evidence.”
Walsh also warned that the UK could be caught up in a European-wide move to increase taxes on alcohol as part of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) bid to develop a global strategy to tackle harmful drinking.
“If there’s orchestrated calls at WHO-level for a certain threshold of alcohol tax, the UK could be swept along, and this could be mandated from the EU,” added Walsh.
Graham Mackay, chief executive of SABMiller, told the press conference that the industry’s voice was being ignored and the debate was focusing solely on the responsibility of government to effectively legislate the problem away.
“Society will not fully address alcohol abuse without the collective involvement of the industry. And at present, our accumulated insight, evidence and experience is being ignored by a legislative movement which sees profit and responsibility as mutually exclusive,” said Mackay.
“The idea that governments can deal with the problem alone, is self-evidently misguided.”
Godfrey Robson, a former director of healthy policy in the Scottish government and co-author of the book, criticised proposals for a minimum price as “simplistic” and a “waste of time”.
“Governments get it into their heads that the solution to the UK’s drinking problems is to put up prices. The problem is dangerous and much more complex.”
The comments came as the Scottish government launched a new Alcohol Bill, which gave ministers sweeping powers to impose minimum pricing, although did not specify the price limit.
The WHO’s global alcohol strategy, which is set to be published in early 2010 will have no “force in law”, but will use “moral persuasion” to get member states to agree to it.
