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The head of the Alcohol Advisory Council says making alcohol more expensive would help curb abuse by those who are most likely to be problem drinkers.
The just-released National Alcohol Strategy contains a number of options, including raising taxes to help cut consumption and curb abuse problems such as binge-drinking
The Government says it has no plans for such an increase.
ALAC chairman Andrew Hornblow says there needs to be a co-ordinated approach to the problem, and he believes raising taxes on alcohol could be a part of that.
He says it has been shown to work, particularly with young people.
Professor Hornblow says everyone pays the price of alcohol abuse in terms of family and community problems, and he believes a small price rise would be widely accepted.
The strategy, which was released on Sunday, contains a number of recommendations on what the Government can do to combat alcohol abuse.
The Ministry estimates such abuse costs $2 billion a year.
The Beer, Wine and Spirits Council says while it is in favour of policies to stop alcohol abuse, it would be disappointed to see the tax on alcohol raised.
Chief executive Nikki Stewart says the council would be very disappointed to see a tax hike. However, Stewart says she does believe the National Alcohol Strategy is a positive document which will promote healthy debate.
The report has sparked debate about how best to fund alcohol education and prevention programmes.
Dr Mike Ardagh, an emergency medical specialist at Christchurch Hospital, says alcohol abuse contributes enormously to the amount spent on health care.
Higher alcohol taxes would provide some balance, and the cost of the initiatives outlined in the new strategy should be funded by a higher tax on alcohol, he says.
Dr Ardagh says alcohol abuse is increasing, and children as young as 10 and 11 are being treated in hospital emergency departments.
Study shows drinking on the up
A 10-year study of Aucklanders' drinking patterns reveals they are drinking more, leading to a rise in alcohol-related problems.
Auckland University did the survey of 10,000 people aged between 14 and 65.
Sally Casswell of the study team says it shows that drinking increased in every age group, except men over 30. She says men under 30 are the most likely to drink heavily.
Professor Casswell says there was also a rise in drink-related problems such as hangovers, fights and car accidents. Professor Casswell says the Government may have to change policies to help curb drinking.
The report contains a number of recommendations on combating alcohol abuse.
It suggests the introduction of breath-testing in dangerous workplaces, controlling the marketing of sweet-tasting alcoholic drinks, and raising the tax on beer and wine to curb drinking, especially among youth.
The chief executive of the Alcohol Advisory Council, Mike Macavoy, who helped write the report, says there are huge social and financial costs associated with alcohol misuse.
But the Health Ministry says the strategy is primarily a discussion document at this stage, and a spokesperson for Finance Minister Michael Cullen says there are no moves afoot to raise taxes on alcohol.
However it is a move many say makes good sense.
"That is one way you can alter people's drinking behaviour because price is a very sensitive factor in people's choices of purchases," Mike MacAvoy of ALAC says.
Roger Eccles of Alcohol Healthwatch agrees that raising taxes on beer and wine would help the problem.
"You can buy a can of beer for less than a can of lemonade and you can buy a bottle of bourbon for twelve dollars," Eccles says.
Critics of the strategy itself say it is short on detail.
"It makes big statements without giving the detail on how it's going to be done," says Sally Jackman of the NZ Drug Foundation.
The strategy makes it clear where the main problem lies - with young men. It says almost a quarter are drinking to excess at least once a week, with a growing number - eight percent - of young women doing the same.
It wants those figures lowered within two years.
