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Strong beer to face tax rise in health reforms

30 November 2010 21:57 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Taxes on high-strength beers and lagers are to be increased next year in an effort to curb problem drinking and related health problems, the government announced on Tuesday, APA reports quoting news.yahoo.com website.
From autumn 2011 duties will be raised on beer containing more than 7.5 percent alcohol while those on low-alcohol beers with 2.8 percent alcohol or less will be reduced.
The levels of taxation will not be revealed until the Budget next spring. But Prime Minister David Cameron’s spokesman said the amount was intended to be large enough to influence drinkers’ behaviour.
The move comes ahead of today’s publication of a public health White Paper, which says the government aims to "nudge" people into making healthier choices.
Brigid Simmonds, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, welcomed the reduction of duty for low-alcohol beer which she said would provide a "welcome incentive for further investment" in such products.
But she suggested raising duty on higher-strength beers -- which account for less than 0.5 percent of total alcohol sales -- would have little effect. ?Overall, we need a duty system that nudges consumers to choose lower-strength, pub-based drinks such as beer," Simmonds added.
"This would create a win-win situation -- a more balanced system of alcohol taxation that would bring in more revenues, and create up to 30,000 jobs in the UK.?
The government aims to "empower communities", with local authorities taking a lead on promoting exercise and tackling obesity and smoking.
A new body will be established called Public Health England to lead national strategies including vaccination programmes, the response to flu pandemics, cancer screening and adult health checks.
Local authorities will work on "health improvement strategies", targeting money where it is most needed, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said.
Councils will receive a slice of a ring-fenced public health budget from April 2013, which will total at least Â£4 billion a year, with "premium" payments rewarding those that tackle inequalities
Public health directors will be assigned to councils to work as healthy living "champions", while a new Health Inclusion Board will look into the causes of deprivation and health inequalities.
"It is time for politicians to stop telling people to make healthy choices but time to help them start doing it," Lansley said.
"Rather than nannying people we will help them...rather than lecturing them, we will give them the help they need."