Thoughts on Social Policy Group proposals

Conservativehome have an interesting article here on just one of the proposals contained in Iain Duncan Smith’s Social Justice Policy Group Report, namely that of higher taxes on alcohol. Having spent some time with IDS when he was in Rugby a few weeks ago, I know just how seriously he takes the need to address our broken society and any ideas his group bring forward should be listened to. The Sun’s response today was predictable; any increase in tax on is bound to be unpopular and particularly when it is on a product that people see as enabling them to enjoy themselves. Also the libertarian argument that people should be free to spend their money as they see fit is a fair one.

However there is a time when politicians should not fall for the populist option. When I was the Conservative candidate in Nuneaton I spent a Friday night out with the police and witnessed the mayhem caused in a town centre between midnight and 3 am caused by people who had drunk too much. I saw violence, damage and many scared people frightened by what might be about to happen outside the kebab shop. Luckily a heavy and good-natured police presence prevented anything major that night. Later I went onto housing estates to see what happened as people arrived home drunk and started domestic arguments, one wielding a machete. When I visited the local hospital, I was told about the extra staff that are needed on a Friday and Saturday night and some of the unpleasant incidents they had to deal with, many fuelled by drink.

The article set out some statistics of the harm caused by alcohol and points out that prices have fallen in real terms with the young (who cause a large proportion of the problems I saw) are particularly sensitive to price changes. For these reasons I don’t see a difficulty in raising the tax on drink. I was astonished a couple of budgets ago when the duty on cider was left untouched because the main consumers of strong cider such as the 7.5% White Lightening are youngsters wanting to get drunk, as evidenced by the empty bottles that can be seen in underpasses, in parks and other places they meet.

If the decision is taken to increase alcohol taxes, responsible drinkers can legitimately feel that they are being penalised by the appalling behaviour of a few. I am also concerned by the view that if the price of alcohol is increased, more people will turn to illegal drugs as an alternative; and the effect on local pubs currently having to deal with the smoking ban should not be underestimated. But on balance I believe that there is merit in the idea that IDS is bringing forward. There is much work to do in improving the state of our society and this can be a step in the right direction.