A rise in alcohol duty in the upcoming Budget could help fund thousands of new jobs in health and public services. Join our campaign by writing to your MP and ask them to take action now.
Alcohol continues to cause substantial harm and grief to families and communities across the UK. Alcohol-related illness, injuries and death rates remain unacceptably high throughout the country.
“I went into Megan’s room that morning. She just looked like she was asleep, but I touched her, and she was cold. The shock for the whole family was huge and it still is; my heart hurts every day.“
Joanne Good, mother to 16-year old Megan who passed away after drinking strong white cider
Current government policy allows alcohol to be sold at pocket money prices whilst offering little support to those affected.
Instead of helping people rebuild their lives, the government is prioritising the interests of alcohol companies: At the same time as funding for treatment is cut, alcohol duty has been cut or frozen for six out of the last seven years. This has been costing the government more than £1bn every year. This money could fund the salaries of 40,000 nurses or 29,000 police officers. What would you choose?
We believe the government should prioritise reducing the harm alcohol causes instead of supporting the drinks companies that fuel it.
This is why we are asking the government to increase alcohol duty by 2% above inflation in this year’s Budget. This would help save lives and repair families, and would be cheaper for the taxpayer in the long run, by avoiding higher costs down the line.
Read our Budget 2020 Submission for more information: