100 signatures reached
To: Taoiseach
Reverse Minimum Unit Pricing
Reverse the legislation on Minimum Unit Pricing of alcohol in the Republic of Ireland
Why is this important?
Minimum Unit Pricing is a government policy that has been brought into effect countrywide from January 2nd 2022. Alcohol can no longer be sold for less than a minimum price set by the Irish government.
The minimum pricing changes are ineffective, regressive, classist and must be reversed.
It’s Only Contribution is Profit
The most egregious part of this law is that the price increases are not a tax, just a minimum price order. This means that the exchequer collects no extra revenue which could be used to fund social services or addiction counselling. This new law transfers money directly into the pockets of retailers, supermarkets and off licences, or pushes more people into pubs.
There was no proper public discourse before the final decision was made around implementation. This regressive legislation should be revoked and we should have a proper, adult conversation about alcohol and our relationship with it as a country.
It Doesn’t Work
There is little by way of data or objective evidence to suggest this is an effective method to deter alcohol or substance abuse. A 5 year review of similar changes in Scotland (1) “found no significant statistical changes in alcohol-related crime, disorder and public nuisance offences.”
This policy is lazy and shortsighted. Supporters of MUP never explain how it will help those suffering from addiction or substance abuse, failing to tackle this social issue at root cause. Instead of creating & implementing a road map that tackles these issues holistically by increasing social services and/or addiction counselling that are required to effectively treat those affected, they have opted for a price hike as a blunt instrument.
We don’t cure our alcohol problems by making addiction more expensive, we do it by tackling the underlying causes and making life less difficult to manage.
It’s Regressive and Classist
MUP is, by its very nature, a classist policy. Laws like this disproportionately affect those of us on the lowest incomes. Minimum prices on supermarket items target a vulnerable subset of citizens who are already financially impeded.
This is very much a controlling measure aimed at the less fortunate, executed at a time when people are lacking capacity to engage in matters outside immediate threats to health and safety (namely a global pandemic), making the timing of the implementation of this policy unfortunate at best, and cruel at worst.
There was uproar when the government considered banning 2-for-1 meals (2) for similar reasons last year, which was reversed due to public pressure. The same should happen here.
1. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-58871427
2.https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/ban-on-two-for-one-food-deals-and-fines-for-not-separating-rubbish-are-being-considered-1.4346843
The minimum pricing changes are ineffective, regressive, classist and must be reversed.
It’s Only Contribution is Profit
The most egregious part of this law is that the price increases are not a tax, just a minimum price order. This means that the exchequer collects no extra revenue which could be used to fund social services or addiction counselling. This new law transfers money directly into the pockets of retailers, supermarkets and off licences, or pushes more people into pubs.
There was no proper public discourse before the final decision was made around implementation. This regressive legislation should be revoked and we should have a proper, adult conversation about alcohol and our relationship with it as a country.
It Doesn’t Work
There is little by way of data or objective evidence to suggest this is an effective method to deter alcohol or substance abuse. A 5 year review of similar changes in Scotland (1) “found no significant statistical changes in alcohol-related crime, disorder and public nuisance offences.”
This policy is lazy and shortsighted. Supporters of MUP never explain how it will help those suffering from addiction or substance abuse, failing to tackle this social issue at root cause. Instead of creating & implementing a road map that tackles these issues holistically by increasing social services and/or addiction counselling that are required to effectively treat those affected, they have opted for a price hike as a blunt instrument.
We don’t cure our alcohol problems by making addiction more expensive, we do it by tackling the underlying causes and making life less difficult to manage.
It’s Regressive and Classist
MUP is, by its very nature, a classist policy. Laws like this disproportionately affect those of us on the lowest incomes. Minimum prices on supermarket items target a vulnerable subset of citizens who are already financially impeded.
This is very much a controlling measure aimed at the less fortunate, executed at a time when people are lacking capacity to engage in matters outside immediate threats to health and safety (namely a global pandemic), making the timing of the implementation of this policy unfortunate at best, and cruel at worst.
There was uproar when the government considered banning 2-for-1 meals (2) for similar reasons last year, which was reversed due to public pressure. The same should happen here.
1. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-58871427
2.https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/ban-on-two-for-one-food-deals-and-fines-for-not-separating-rubbish-are-being-considered-1.4346843