A University of Queensland research team have evaluated the effectiveness of the 'alcopops' tax by studying binge drinking-related admissions at the Gold Coast Hospital.
The 70% tax was introduced by the Federal Government in April 2008 in an attempt to reduce binge drinking in young people.
The team's findings, published today in The Medical Journal of Australia, demonstrate the tax did not affect the number of alcohol-related harms observed on the Gold Coast.
Methodology and key findings:
- The research team studied whether the number of people aged 15 to 29 who presented at hospital with conditions related to binge drinking fell following the increase in alcopops tax
- The research team looked at presentation to the Gold Coast Emergency Department two years prior to the tax increase in April 2008, and two years thereafter. They compared the number of younger and older people presenting with the same health consequences of binge drinking, in addition to the number of young people presenting with other conditions
- The team found no reduction in alcohol-related health consequences following the tax
- Raising the price of just one type of drink may not reduce alcohol-related harms
- Without question, taxation is one of the most effective approaches to reduce alcohol consumption. Our findings provide further evidence for a more comprehensive approach to alcohol control that includes taxing all drinks equally by alcoholic content .
More information: "Effect of the increase in 'alcopops' tax on alcohol-related harms in young people: a controlled interrupted time series." The Medical Journal of Australia. (DOI) 10.5694/mja10.10865
May 12, 2008
Nanobanano
3.5 / 5 (2) Dec 12, 2011It's pretty simple.
Anyone dumb enough to harm themself by binge drinking is also dumb enough to pay 70% more.
The logic of this measure is flawed, because it assumes people are rational, which is ridiculous.
if people were rational, they wouldn't binge drink in the first place.
Again, idiots are not only willing to hurt themselves by any means: drugs, alcohol, etc, but they are also willing to pay more to do so. By and large, increasing a tax or penalty will not deter the negative behavior.
Vendicar_Decarian
1 / 5 (1) Dec 12, 2011Since problem drinking seems to to have a genetic component, the solution would appear to be chemical.
BobKob
not rated yet Dec 13, 2011