Last night saw the final curtain for the proposed minimum pricing in Scotland.  The proposal from the the SNP was to put a price increase of 45p per unit on alcohol.  The aim was to increase the cost of alcohol and decrease the overall consumption in the country.  This section of the bill was rejected by opposition MSP’s who felt that would affect responsible drinkers unfairly. Opposition MSP’s recognise that alcohol abuse is a problem but would use further taxation on it to address the situation.

Other parts of the bill were successful.  From the 1st of January 2011 there will restrictions on supermarket promotions including buy one, get one free.  They will also not be able to promote alcohol deals within their shops or outside. Also they approved a social responsiblity levy which will allow councils to tax any premises that sell alcohol.