Minimum pricing on booze leading to no improvement in health
New study on drink says there's been little benefit in almost five years of the MUP policy
A report suggests that a key Scottish Government policy, intended to prevent the sale of cheap drink, has cost the public about £270 million pounds.
The report from the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) claimed the policy has had little positive impact on employment, crime and health - costing drinkers on average £71.12 per head.
Introduced in 2018, minimum pricing had previously been justified based on computer modelling from a team at Sheffield University - the Sheffield Alcohol Policy Model (SAPM).
The Scottish Government said minimum pricing was to reduce alcohol-related harms - like death, crime and unemployment - raising the price of the cheap booze in supermarkets and off-licences.
Computer-based models from Sheffield University showed that the policy could reduce improvements in health, employment and crime rates.
But the IEA claims this has not been the case.
The think tank also argues that the policy has been "counter-productive" because it collects extra revenue for alcohol suppliers, rather than as a tax.
"We find no evidence that this has led to an improvement in health outcomes"
Co-author Christopher Snowdon said: "Our estimate suggests that minimum pricing has cost Scottish drinkers more than a quarter of a billion pounds. Now in its fifth year, minimum pricing is a reminder that politicians are often responsible for the rising cost of living.
"Although alcohol consumption has fallen slightly in Scotland, we find no evidence that this has led to an improvement in health outcomes. Consumers have simply switched from the most affordable alcohol to mid-range brands, to the benefit of alcohol producers and retailers. The policy could be dropped tomorrow without costing the Government a penny."
A Scottish Government spokesman said: "In 2020 we saw total alcohol sales reported as falling to their lowest level for 26 years.
"We had already seen that alcohol sales were falling since our world-leading policy was introduced in 2018 - indeed research published in the Lancet found alcohol sales fell almost 8%.
"Evaluation is ongoing, with a final report from Public Health Scotland in 2023."