Scottish consumers have paid dearly for minimum unit pricing
3 May 2022
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IEA research referenced in the Daily Mail
3 May 2022
Policies
Education
IEA research referenced in The National
A new paper on minimum unit pricing in Scotland, co-authored by Christopher Snowdon, IEA Head of Lifestyle Economics, has been referenced in The National.
The paper concludes that minimum unit pricing has had little impact on improving public health and has cost Scottish consumers £270m.
“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.”
Read the full article here and download the research paper here.
The paper concludes that minimum unit pricing has had little impact on improving public health and has cost Scottish consumers £270m.
“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.”
Read the full article here and download the research paper here.
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