Sir, – The introduction of a minimum unit pricing on alcohol is presented as a health measure whereas, in reality, it is just another oppressive tax on poor people. Consumers of Châteauneuf-du-Pape at €25 a bottle will be unaffected, as will whiskey connoisseurs happy to spend €70 to €80 on a bottle on their favourite drink.
Meanwhile, poor people, perhaps wishing to match the alcohol consumption of their more affluent neighbours in Foxrock, Killiney or Terenure, will be penalised simply on the basis of what they can afford.
This is a tax on the poor. And in an extraordinary way the beneficiaries of the tax are retailers. – Yours, etc,
BILLY HANNIGAN,
Dublin 12.
Sir, – Great move, with inflation already going through the roof! – Yours, etc,
JIM MURRAY,
Dublin 8.