Responding to reports that the Police have commissioned a ‘study’ advocating raising alcohol taxes, lifting the legal purchase age from 18 to 20 and introducing restrictions on alcohol advertising and sponsorship, Taxpayers’ Union Executive, Jordan Williams, said:

“This is yet another example of the fun police trying to take away people’s enjoyment of life rather than actually focusing on dealing with crime.

“Prohibitionists lost the argument a long time ago but are now trying to bring it in by stealth. The policy interventions they recommend simply won’t work and could end up making alcohol-related harm worse.

”It is also a constitutional disgrace. The Police’s role is to enforce the law, not lobby to change it. Someone ought to buy Andrew Coster a copy of the Peelian Principles which modern policing is supposed to be based on. For those who still care for an impartial Police force that does not involve themselves in making or advocating for legal changes, as previous Commissioners have understood, a strong drink is in order.

“Instead of trying to slap more taxes and restrictions on the vast majority of people who safely consume alcohol, the focus should be on targeted interventions at those people causing the most harm, while allowing everyone else to get on with their lives.”

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