The Law Alcopop taxes plan to halt child drinking

[bit_pattern]

Dropped into my mate's bottle shop this arvo. $130 for a carton of Jack Daniels and Coke! Insanity!

As much as it pains me to say it, Nelson is dead right on this one. This is going to hit people who like RTD bourbons, not idiot kids drinking baccardi breezers that their parents are buying for them.

Learn to drink beer like a real man

 

[Sportman1987]

A higher tax meaning we're spending money?

Rudd has set aside 53 million for his "war" on binge drinking.

That is money straight down the toilet. Binging cannot be curtailed without prohibition, simple as that.

How successful has the war on drugs been in the states? Abysmal. Rudd has an even harder job than them since he is trying to control the consumption of a legal substance!

Complete and utter waste of money.

 

[Kahuna]

____en Rudd

$25 for a 6pack of Beam.

I said ____ that, so I drank a whole bottle of beam. suck shit ____er

 

[Adrian Shelton]

I had to get 3.5% Bundy!!! Lucky XXXX was 32.90 a carton this week!!

 

[JW Frogen]

This tax is the greatest crime against humanity since that plagiarizer of Judaism, what is his name, Muhackmed or something, banned booze..

I am going to become a freedom fighter and start my own still truck, driving the neighborhoods of Perth offering our kiddies frozen alcohol pops and cans of Wild Turkey!

What kind of civilization taxes booze like this?

Saudi Arabia is dry, literally, and look what happened to them.

This is my clarion (or claret) call to all freedom loving drunks everywhere. Fight back, get drunk and drive real fast into a WA Labor minister’s car.

Rum-coke-a-kazi.

The divine booze.

They can take our money, they can make us drown in paperwork, (they can't build a sports stadium or train lines on time), but they can never take our intoxication!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Kahuna]

Do I get this correctly a bottle of beam will still be $30 but a 6pack with be $25??

Also $20 for a 4 pack or $10 for one biccie????? (I know some will pick the later)

Nice work Kevin.

 

[acker]

Any one got a canning machine for sale

I might start home pre-mixing

 

[Chief]

Rudd has set aside 53 million for his "war" on binge drinking.

That is money straight down the toilet. Binging cannot be curtailed without prohibition, simple as that.

How successful has the war on drugs been in the states? Abysmal. Rudd has an even harder job than them since he is trying to control the consumption of a legal substance!

Complete and utter waste of money.

Controlling abuse of a legal substance. Which of course can be done without prohibition. Look at the drop in tobacco use after education and advertising.

Educate kids and make it less convenient to get pre-mixed, sweetened alcohol drinks.

 

[LIONS then DAYLIGHT]

____en Rudd

$25 for a 6pack of Beam.

I said ____ that, so I drank a whole bottle of beam. suck shit ____er

Sammy Newman style?

 

[dmc333]

I'm starting to feel even better that I quit drinking.

 

[Belnakor]

as predicted

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/alcopop-thefts-soar-since-tax-jump/2008/05/07/1210131068841.html

And

Terry Mott, the chief executive of the Liquor Stores Association, said that while his office had yet to receive any figures indicating increased income loss through theft, there was evidence that sales of full-strength spirits were rising among the under-25s.

"What the Government has done has encouraged young people to mix without measuring, and they can be quite reckless in their measuring. At least the number of standard drinks were on the side of the [ready-to-drink] bottle. It's pushing the trend back the other way, and it's not in the interests of curbing excessive alcohol consumption," he said.

Exactly why the taxing system was different before.

 

[Belnakor]

In the recent past Ive purchased 4-packs as it means I actually drink less. If I buy a bottle I drink the bottle. I dont enjoy the cans as much, but it prevents me from getting blottoed.

Yup, when was in my early 20s that was what i would do: like alot of people, once I started drinking i'd drink what is available. If i started a bottle of vodka i would polish it off or pass out trying to

This will have a net gain effect on binge drinking - it would just make people more pissed.

Just pure political tokenism by Rudd for a bad result.

 

[Kram]

Rudd's a ____ ing idiot.

Gee.. I wonder which would cause more harm to a 17 year old, a 6-pack of mixed Jim Beam or a 700ml straight bottle?

 

[LIONS then DAYLIGHT]

Rudd's a ____ ing idiot.

Gee.. I wonder which would cause more harm to a 17 year old, a 6-pack of mixed Jim Beam or a 700ml straight bottle?

Get real, half the reason these kids buy these alcopops is because its easy, carrying a bottle of bourbon around the streets will make you stand out like a sore thumb, a 6 pack of crusiers could easily be concealed in a back pack, or in the corner of an eksy, sure some kids will do it, but overall this move seems to be one in a series to combat binge drinking, overall, do you have any better suggestions to curb binge drinking, no, instead of whinging, why dont you suggest an alternative.

 

[Belnakor]

The key to stopping binge drinking is to change the culture, and to make it less sociality acceptable, while at the same time making it less economical to do so. It doesn't matter what particular type of alcohol you are taxing, but it needs to be uniform based on the amount of drinks in the product, not on an adhoc basis for when Rudd feels he needs a popularilty boost.

imho the worst pre mixed drinks like Bullit Bourbon (2.5 drinks per can) getting taxed the same as a 4pack of CC and dry (like 1.2 drinks in a bottle) is madness, and just shows how the government did not think this through at all.

If you think concealing a hipflask is harder than a 6pack of boubon and cokes your dreamin.

 

[LIONS then DAYLIGHT]

The key to stopping binge drinking is to change the culture, and to make it less sociality acceptable, while at the same time making it less economical to do so. It doesn't matter what particular type of alcohol you are taxing, but it needs to be uniform based on the amount of drinks in the product, not on an adhoc basis for when Rudd feels he needs a popularilty boost.

imho the worst pre mixed drinks like Bullit Bourbon (2.5 drinks per can) getting taxed the same as a 4pack of CC and dry (like 1.2 drinks in a bottle) is madness, and just shows how the government did not think this through at all.

If you think concealing a hipflask is harder than a 6pack of boubon and cokes your dreamin.

I agree about changing the culture, in some overseas countries it is a disgrace and an embrassment to be seen in public intoxicated. However, one needs to be realistic, its going to take a long time to change the culture of a nation which revels in drinking. That is going to take many years, you know, at least a couple of decades i'd imagine.

 

[Kram]

^^ You are talking rubbish. As a teenager the amount kids I saw at parties getting very sick risking their lives drinking silly amounts of spirits is a real worry. New years '2000' an idiot tried to funnel 1/3 of a bottle of bourbon, lucky he didn't die. A six pack of pre-mix or beer is 1000 times safer than them buying 40% straight Liquor.

Oh and don't you think it would be easy to chuck some Vodka in a bottle of cool drink and walk around the street, rather than lugging a pile of bottles/cans?

I'm not exactly sure of the best way to curb drinking in youth but this is by far the dumbest way to do it.

And no I'm not whinging about the price rise personally as I very rarely buy them, preferring beer or a bottle of wine.

 

[Ripper]

^^ You are talking rubbish. As a teenager the amount kids I saw at parties getting very sick risking their lives drinking silly amounts of spirits is a real worry. New years '2000' an idiot tried to funnel 1/3 of a bottle of bourbon, lucky he didn't die. A six pack of pre-mix or beer is 1000 times safer than them buying 40% straight Liquor.

Oh and don't you think it would be easy to chuck some Vodka in a bottle of cool drink and walk around the street, rather than lugging a pile of bottles/cans?

I'm not exactly sure of the best way to curb drinking in youth but this is by far the dumbest way to do it.

And no I'm not whinging about the price rise personally as I very rarely buy them, preferring beer or a bottle of wine.

I have no doubt that these well meaning but stupid measures will kill some People

 

[The Dice Man]

I agree about changing the culture, in some overseas countries it is a disgrace and an embrassment to be seen in public intoxicated. However, one needs to be realistic, its going to take a long time to change the culture of a nation which revels in drinking. That is going to take many years, you know, at least a couple of decades i'd imagine.

Not really. The culture and stigma attached to tobacco smoking is nothing like it was 20 or even 10 years ago.


But let's see this for what it is... A Tax Increase, nothing more nothing less. The 'Alco-Pop' justification is nothing more than a book title, and you should never judge a book by its cover.

 

[Jimi]

I agree^

Back in my teen binge drinking days it was much more common to see someone walking around at a party with a 2L bottle of coke with a large amount of rum/vodka/bourbon in it, than you'd see people with pre mix cans. In my day I got around with a camel back full of vodka and redbull - not in healthy proportions.

Rudd needs to educate the kiddies, not tell them what they can or can't do.

 

[fairdinkum]

UPDATE 6.23pm: PRE-mixed drinks will be significantly cheaper within weeks after the government's alcopop tax was defeated today.

Family First Senator Steve Fielding blew a $1.6 billion hole in the government’s budget after joining with the Opposition to defeat the bill.

In a chaotic Senate late this afternoon, the bill was initially passed when Liberal/National senator Nigel Scullion failed to turn up to vote.

Mr Scullion said he missed the division because he was holding an impromptu meeting in a stairwell.

However, the government bowed to convention and permitted a second vote.

There are fears the decision could lead to an increase in teenage binge drinking, particularly among young girls.

The bill was supported by medical and alcohol and drug groups.

Senator Fielding refused to support the tax hike unless the Government promised to close a loophole that allows alcohol advertising on daytime television during sporting events.

Greens leader Bob Brown earlier called Senator Fielding’s stance irresponsible.

"Senator Fielding is the boy on the burning deck saying I'm going to throw you a lifeline having set flame to the ship," he told the Senate.

"Senator Fielding is scuttling legislation which has huge advantages for the Australian people and he'll be judged for it.

"But does he have the shoulders to bear the responsibility?"

Senator Brown said Senator Fielding was immature for saying he'd vote against the Bill because he hadn't got everything he wanted.

The Government had agreed to two of his demands: Warning labels on alcohol containers and an end to self-regulation of alcohol advertising.

"With Senator Fielding it's 'Give me what I want or no deal ... I'll dump all the gains made but the other senators''," the Greens leader said.

Health Minister Nicola Roxon had agreed to invest an extra $50 million in initiatives, including a sports sponsorship fund and alcohol helpline if the alcopops tax was passed unamended.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25206284-661,00.html

Oh dear.

 

[fairdinkum]

Never seems to botther Julian.

Didn't know you were a fan of the greatest show on earth!

 

[evo]

I used to live with a group of hydro growing rednecks in B.C, fairdinkum.

The show brings back fond memories.

 

[fairdinkum]

I used to live with a group of hydro growing rednecks in B.C, fairdinkum.

The show brings back fond memories.

Ah, I see.

For me, it represents where I expect to be in a few years after my finish my Arts degree.



Where is BC, BTW?

 

[Inferno]

As if we needed more evidence showing how incompetent and idiotic Steve Fielding is...