Alcopops tax a success: research

Alcopops sales dropped by 29 per cent following the introduction of the federal
government's tax hike on ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages in April, new figures
reveal.
The data, released by the Australian Drug Foundation, shows the number of alcopops
sold in the last 10 months dropped by the equivalent of 310 million standard drinks.
"This independent data is irrefutable and unbiased, and demonstrates a big loss in
spirits sales for the liquor industry," drug foundation policy spokesman Geoff Munro
said in a statement.
"It's not surprising that spirits producers want to kill the tax. It's working."
The biggest fall was in vodka-based alcopops.
The new figures support last week's findings from the National Drug Research
Institute, which showed sales dived 26 per cent in the three months to June 2008
compared with the same period in 2007.
The institute study revealed only half the drop in alcopops consumption was made up
for by an increase in beer and spirit sales.
Sunday's data will boost the federal government's effort to get its tax-hike
supporting legislation through the upper house when parliament resumes this week.
The 70 per cent hike on ready-to-drink beverages was implemented by regulation and
Labor needs the support of seven crossbench senators for it to stand.
If the bill doesn't pass parliament, the government may be forced to pay back the
spirits industry around $260 million in revenue already collected.
The Australian Greens hold five seats in the upper house and are yet to decide which
way they'll vote.
But in a positive sign for the Rudd government, Greens leader Bob Brown was
unequivocal on Sunday when he said the tax was working.
"It has reduced binge-drinking," he told Network Ten.
"It has reduced alcohol consumption. That's a good thing."
But the Greens say the revenue raised by the excise should go towards alcohol harm
reduction - regardless of whether or not the legislation is passed.
"Either the tax will be cut off at this stage and there'll be hundreds of millions
of dollars to establish a fund that's been collected over the last year," Senator
Brown said.
"Or it will continue to be collected ... (and) we want to see that money going into
education and reducing the ravages of alcohol."
The federal opposition has declared it will vote against the alcopops tax in the
Senate.