Drink taxes may rise to slow consumption - Martin

Taxes on drink may be increased to slow the sharp rise in consumption and to pay for alcohol-related illnesses, Minister for Health Mr Martin warned today.

He described as "absolutely horrendous" the facts that alcohol caused a quarter of all attendances at Accident and Emergency units and that most public order offences are alcohol-related. Violence on the streets has increased by 97 per cent since 1996.

Responding to the findings of the interim report of the Strategic Task Force on Alcohol, Mr Martin told RTÉ's Morning Irelandhe agreed with one of its key recommendations to increases alcohol taxes and use the additional revenue to fund the cost of healthcare for alcohol-related illnesses and educational programmes on the dangers of alcohol.

Alcohol-related illness cost the State an estimated €2.4 billion per year or 1.7 per cent of GDP in 1999, according to the report. These costs include healthcare, road accidents, alcohol related crime and lost productivity.

"The problem with alcohol tax is the same as with cigarette tax - its impact on the Consumer Price Index and inflation figures. I think as a society we have got to take a look at this and take these two items out of the basket".

Mr Martin said co-operation would be sought from the social partners to remove alcohol from the CPI.

Consumption of alcohol increased by 41 per cent in Ireland between 1989 and 1999 while 10 other EU member states showed a decrease in drinking levels.

The report also recommends the blood alcohol limit for drivers be reduced to from 80 mg to 50 mg in line with other EU countries. Alcohol is associated with more than 40 per cent of all fatal road crashes and 30 per cent of all road accidents.

The Strategic Task Force report comes one day after it was revealed people living in Ireland drink more than any other country in the world, except the Czech Republic. The latest World Drink Trends survey showed Ireland recorded an annual per-capita consumption of 153 litres beer, just seven behind the Czech Republic.

On average, people in Ireland drank 12.3 litres of pure alcohol in 2000, 2.5 more litres than France and Germany and almost four litres more than Britain.

In the Republic people spent €1,270 on alcohol last year. Over the last six years, consumption of alcohol has increased by nearly 50 per cent.

According to the World Drink Trends survey the alcoholic drinks market in Ireland was worth €6.81 billion in 2001.