Madam, – I would like to address Marion Rackard’s call (October 25th) for the introduction of a social responsibility levy on the drinks industry to address alcohol misuse.
Ireland is not “marinating in alcohol”, as she describes. The vast majority of Irish people enjoy alcohol in a responsible manner which adds to their enjoyment of life. Indeed, per capita consumption of alcohol has been declining steadily since 2001. That decline has accelerated in recent years as a result of the economic downturn. As a result, our consumption is now similar to that of other EU countries.
However, alcohol misuse remains a serious concern for all, including the drinks industry. The most effective way to address this is by changing attitudes and behaviours. The drinks industry has been playing its part in recent years by supporting the drinkaware.ie campaign. Such approaches are more effective than wide-ranging levies that will further penalise an industry which supports 75,000 jobs currently under severe pressure from the downturn and cross-Border trade.
We already have some of the highest taxes on alcohol in the EU. Therefore, further levies would do nothing to address misuse but would simply cost jobs and much -needed revenue for the Government. – Yours, etc,