Letter: Alcohol policy low on proof

THE practice will do nothing to achieve the aim of curbing the actual desire to over-indulge.

Nor will it discourage the many who do so at normal prices. Once the latter, plus others who buy cheaply but drink moderately are subtracted from the total, along with those who will carry on regardless, the numbers “saved” will be much less.

While it is acceptable for government to increase prices by taxation in order to gain national income, there is no case for it to do so directly to reduce consumption. With obesity now seen as at least as great a health threat as alcohol, it would make as much (or as little) sense to impose minimum prices on “undesirable” foods. That would produce the same anomalies.

Robert Dow, Tranent