Government not introducing minimum pricing on alcohol

Justice Minister Judith Collins has received the Ministry of Justice report, The Effectiveness of Alcohol Pricing Policies.

The report considers options for a minimum pricing regime and the possible costs and benefits.

Ms Collins says the Government will not be introducing minimum pricing on alcohol as this would hit moderate drinkers in the pocket when there is no compelling evidence that increasing the price of alcohol is the correct approach.

The Government will allow time for the new alcohol reforms to bed in and to assess their impacts, including the development and implementation of Local Alcohol Policies which are likely to take up to two years to come into full effect.

Ms Collins says the Government’s changes to the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act aimed to strike a sensible balance to curb the harm of alcohol abuse without penalising moderate drinkers.

“New Zealanders who drink responsibly and moderately should not be unfairly targeted. Introducing a minimum pricing regime would see alcohol companies earn around $131m extra a year at the $1.20 minimum price point,” says Ms Collins.

“Yesterday Police Minister Anne Tolley announced Police statistics showing significant drops in alcohol-related offences since the reforms came into full effect on 18 December last year”.

In the ten weeks after the Act came into full effect there were 22 per cent fewer serious assaults causing injury, public place violence and disorder offences between 8pm and 8am than for the same period last year.

The full report and Ministry of Justice recommendations are available on the Ministry of Justice website at justice.govt.nz/policy/sale-and-supply-of-alcohol/alcohol-minimum-pricing-report