Professor Frank Murray:

There are several ways of achieving minimum pricing which can include an element of excise or tax. One of the issues where money could be saved is that currently retailers are writing off a proportion of their loss on alcohol by reclaiming the VAT. There are many opportunities to increase the tax intake by increasing the excise duty on alcohol. Scotland has not had problems implementing it but in actually introducing it as it is waiting on an adjudication from the European courts.

Minimum unit pricing has been implemented in two provinces in Canada and there has been a huge benefit in terms of a reduction in alcohol consumption and an immediate reduction in mortality from alcohol-related diseases.