Scottish trade chiefs have slammed the government's plans to make pubs pay an extra fee for dealing with alcohol-related issues.
Some pubs and supermarkets will be forced to pay a "social responsibility fee" - similar to alcohol disorder zones in England - under the wide-ranging proposals announced by the Scottish government last week.
However the consultation says small businesses "where the sale of alcohol is incidental to the main purpose of the business" should escape the levy.
The Scottish Licensed Trade Association branded the idea "fundamentally flawed". Chief executive Paul Waterson said the scheme would force all pubs to pay for the misdemeanours of the few.
The Scottish Beer & Pub Association (SBPA) argued the plan was "unworkable". Chief executive Patrick Browne warned: "Just because an incident happens outside a pub premises does not necessarily mean the problems relate to that premises. This proposal may well target the wrong businesses."
Steve Jackson, co-licensee of the Guildford Arms, Edinburgh, agreed the fee was "outrageous".
"The government's looking to us to bail it out for something they're too scared to do - taking away the licence of off-licences caught selling to kids," he said.
The Scottish Executive's also plans to introduce a minimum price on a unit of alcohol, end discount promotions and ban sales to under-21s in the off-trade. Waterson said he was "delighted" at the plan for a minimum pricing policy on alcohol unit.
But Stewart Ross, managing director of Scottish pub company Belhaven warned raising the minimum age limit sent "mixed messages to the licensed trade and the Scottish people."
"To put out such a potential policy is bizarre," he said. "It's also very worrying for the on-trade, as it would surely be the thin end of the wedge and wouldn't be long before legislation imposed an older minimum age in the pub trade as well."
Scottish plans
The Scottish government's consultation document to tackle Scotland's "drink time-bomb" aims to:
- set a minimum price at which a unit of alcohol can be sold. However The Office of Fair Trading has already warned this could fall foul of competition legislation.
- end 'three for the price of two' type promotions, which encourage impulse buying of extra alcohol.
- introduce a 'social responsibility fee' for some alcohol retailers to help pay for the consequences of alcohol misuse - estimated at £2.25 billion per year or £500 for every Scottish adult.
- introduce alcohol-only checkouts, so that alcohol, like cigarettes, is thought of as a special product.
- spend a £85 million increase on alcohol prevention, treatment and support services, bringing total spend to £120 million over the next three years (previously announced as part of the Spending Review).