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Source: ONE News -
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The price of a pint at the pub may go up along with the drinking age if the Law Commission gets its way.
It is suggesting a series of changes to alcohol laws to tackle the culture of excessive drinking.
New Zealand has a culture of binge drinking and that is something the Law Commission wants to change.
The commission would like to see the price of alcohol go up, the age we are able to buy alcohol raised and the blood alcohol limit for driving lowered.
The moves are supported by alcohol watchdogs.
"We think it's a timely package of proposals to tackle the large amount of damage and cost that's happening in New Zealand around drunkenness and alcohol abuse," says Andrew Hearn of the Alcohol Advisory Council.
The Hospitality Association does not feel the same way. It says the commission is missing the point.
"We're concerned that we are going to have window dressing which people will say 'right we've done something about it'. But in a decade's time the numbers will be just as bad as they are now," says Bruce Robertson of the association.
And there are mixed ideas on what will work.
"The price of liquor won't change anything, hiking the age up, yes," says one member of the public.
Another says raising the price would make a difference but raising the age won't help.
It's interesting to note that just 50% of New Zealanders drink 93% of alcohol and on average pay $530 a year in excise tax.
"We have a substantial minority of people who go out to drink and get drunk. And that's where all the damage is, all the injury, all the crime," says Hearn.
And it comes at a price. The government collects around $795 million in tax from alcohol but drinking costs the country a whopping $5.3 billion for things like health care and crime.
And the Law Commission hopes these costs will convince the government that change is needed when it makes its final recommendations.
