The Coalition Government announced 19 Jan that retailers would not be allowed to sell wine, beer and spirits at below cost price plus VAT. This would put a minimum price for a standard bottle of wine at £2.03, medium-strength lager at £0.38 per 440ml, whisky at £8 per 700ml, & vodka at £10.71 per litre. While the Wine and Spirit Trade Association and other groups welcomed the news others, such as Alcohol Concern are dismayed at measures they say will make no difference to problem drinking in the UK. WSTA CE Jeremy Beadles said a ban on below-cost sales was the 'practical' way to implement a minimum price policy. He added, 'It's equally vital to recognise that alcohol pricing and taxation cannot provide the solution to alcohol misuse. What's needed is education and rigorous enforcement of laws to address misuse and related anti-social behaviour.' In June 2010, a call by NICE (the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) to introduce minimum pricing per unit of alcohol was dismissed as 'totally misguided and probably illegal' by the WSTA.
