Dear All
When the SNP Government decided to introduce the ‘Sturgeon Tax’ which will hit the poorest in society disproportionately I thought disaster.
The ‘Sturgeon Tax’ rather than being collected to be used to benefit society in providing additional funding for projects to change society for the better, the money went straight into the pockets of big businesses.
The rich!
And to make matters worse the ‘Sturgeon Tax’ has built in unfairness at its core, innocent people were being punished for the actions of a disruptive minority.
Plain unfairness which everyone could see at a glance!
This measure sailed on as an un-listening and increasingly out of touch SNP Government with a majority pushed their flagship proposal through.
Now, with the SNP Government clearly on the skids, the minimum price for alcohol is to face a legal challenge from the drinks industry.
The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) aims to opposing the plans and by default is sticking for the ‘little guy’.
SWA say their measures will include legal action.
The Scottish Government wants a minimum price of 50p a unit; this is unfair to poor working class people.
Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon says the measures are needed to address Scotland’s chronic alcohol problem.
It seems that some people may feel Ms. Sturgeon may think that Scots can’t be educated and therefore the ‘stick’ is needed.
In the tale of Robin Hood, he rob the rich to give to the poor, in the case of the Scottish Government, they rob the poor to give to the rich.
Clearly, Ms. Sturgeon hasn’t watched the classic 1938 The Adventures of Robin Hood starring Errol Flynn.
Or if she had she didn’t understand the narrative.
The drinks industry leaders say that minimum pricing falls foul of European Union competition law and believe a legal challenge is likely to succeed.
Until we see the nuts and bolts of that case, we will all be none the wiser, but a technical challenge should be necessary, the SNP should have recognised this is an fair and counter-productive measure.
Gavin Partington, of the Wine and Spirits Trade Association (WSTA), said:
“We are working together with the SWA and other trade bodies at a European level to actually spread news about what’s happening in Scotland and to communicate to other trade associations about what the Scottish Government has legislated for. There is a widespread agreement around this issue.”
He added:
“It’s highly likely that there will be this legal challenge [and] that that legal challenge is likely to be successful.”
For people in the SNP like Alex Salmond, Nicola Sturgeon and Joan McAlpine, getting their hands on bevvy isn’t a problem, they are on big money, but poor people aren’t, they will use up more of their income.
Working class people don’t forget when bad things are done against them; come the independence vote, people will be remembering all too clearly.
Day by day, this is a government that is increasingly out of touch with ordinary people, once the panic sets in that independence isn’t possible, it will spread like wildfire, a stressed SNP leadership might take to the drink.
And drink and crying don't mix!
This term of the SNP Government will be remembered for being heartless and hopeless.
Thatcher snatched the milk, Sturgeon snatched the bevvy!
Yours sincerely
George Laird
The Campaign for Human Rights at Glasgow University
3 comments:
The people hooked on alcohol won't notice the price difference, they'll simply adjust their budget to allow for alcohol costing more and their kids and family will suffer as a result. That's fact.
Cigarettes were taxed to the max, result? No change, until we educated the young pre-smokers and made available NRT. And even then the hardcore are still puffing away at £8.00 a pack.
The SNP haven't taken long to emulate Labour and the Tories regarding big business. We may even see ex-Ministers taking posts with the big corporations.
The SNP are turning so many people against them that they will disappear after indy vote like the Quebec separatists who imploded. This will not change drinking habits, people will pay more. You hit the nail on head when you state the unfairness of the many being punished for the actions of a few.
If the legal challenge is successful, the SNP will no doubt respond by saying "people will suffer".
What they should have done is adjust the duty levels, not the price. You lower duty for pubs, clubs and hotels, and raise it for retailers. That way the money goes to the taxpayer, and it helps to encourage a few more people to drink in a bar etc, thus helping small businesses.
I think minimum pricing will only work with a comprehensive education programme, but given the SNP's screwing about with education in schools, I have little hope.
But there is a fundamental problem with the current SNP government - none of its MSPs seem to question new policies, therefore they are railroading them through. We need a few of them to grow a pair and get some constructive debate in Parliament. What we have is every time the opposition raises a serious question about a policy, they are accused of being obstructive or "anti-Scottish".
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