Drinks companies could soon be hit with a ‘social responsibility levy’

DRINKS PRODUCERS COULD be made to pay a “social responsibility levy” as part of plans to introduce a minimum unit price for alcohol.

The charge would be designed to capture the extra profits alcohol producers started taking in when prices were increased through the floor price for all drinks.

An Oireachtas joint committee on health and children has backed the government’s plan to introduce a minimum unit price (MUP) for alcohol under measures designed to reduce harmful drinking.

"The weight of evidence presented to the Committee supported the introduction of a MUP for alcohol, as an effective means to reduce and disrupt harmful alcohol consumption patterns,” it said in a report today.

The committee also recommended setting an MUP at the “upper end” of a range between €0.60 and €1.10 to offer “the best opportunity to reduce harmful drinking and associated social impacts”.

Drinks companies could soon be hit with a ‘social responsibility levy’

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