'Alcohol tax hike will not curb binge-drinking'

Alistair Darling's 9.1 per cent rise in alcohol taxes will not succeed in tackling Britain's binge-drinking culture unless the government also stops heavy price discounting by supermarkets, health groups and brewers warned yesterday - Financial Times​

Increased excise duty on alcohol is unlikely to have an immediate impact on supermarkets' cut-price promotions, which are close to record lows before St Patrick's Day and Easter. Before yesterday's budget, Tesco, which sells more alcohol in Britain than any pub group or retailer, had launched a TV advertising campaign pushing a cut-price promotion on big-name beers - The Guardian​

Drinks and tobacco companies reacted with disbelief and anger after duty rose six per cent above the rate of inflation, increasing tax on a bottle of spirits by 55p and on a pint of beer by 4p - Daily Telegraph​

The Chancellor was at the centre of a Budget storm last night, as it emerged that his plan for a huge rise in whisky duty may not raise a single penny for the Treasury. Despite adding 59p to a bottle of Scotch, Alistair Darling's own figures reveal falling sales will cancel out any gain - The Scotsman​

Drinkers and drivers were hit in the pocket yesterday as Alistair Darling used them and a borrowing surge to try to steer Britain away from recession and through global financial storms - The Times​

Steep rises in alcohol duties, with the tax on spirits increasing for the first time in a decade, have been welcomed by doctors' leaders. But brewers warned that the moves would accelerate the closure of pubs as drinkers opted to consume more alcohol at home - The Independent​

Drinkers were hit with a £1.5billion tax rise yesterday to pay for extra help for pensioners and poor children - Daily Mirror​

Angry Scotch whisky producers last night denounced the Chancellor's "punitive" increase in duty on the national drink - Daily Telegraph​

International studies have found that even moderate tax rises can reduce road accidents and fatalities caused by excessive drinking, as well as deaths from cirrhosis and alcohol-related violent crime - The Guardian​

A delay in the introduction of new income tax legislation for family business employees was welcomed last night as HM Revenue & Customs' plans to combat "income shifting" stalled. A complex regulation had been drafted aimed at married couples moving income earned by their business between partners in order to minimise income tax - The Independent​

Bluefin tuna are being pushed to the brink of extinction in the Mediterranean by far too many fishing vessels pursuing the remaining fish stocks, a report warned yesterday - The Scotsman​