Sir, - Richard Dunne, President of the Vintners' Federation of Ireland, is quoted as saying that "excise duty on alcohol was another problem" and he urged the Government to remove it (The Irish Times, May 16th). I doubt that the removal of excise duty on drinks will bring down the price in the long term.
There is no excise duty on soft drinks, yet last night I was charged £1.35 for a 220ml bottle of lemonade (£3.60 for a pint) by one of his members. How can it be that with so much competition, we are charged these exorbitant prices for soft drinks? There seem to be similar charges in most pubs.
With deregulation and real competition there is a greater chance that these exceptionally high prices will come down. In my view, the sooner the better. - Yours, etc.,
Brendan O'Donoghue, St John's, Castledermot, Co Kildare.