Rudd Taxes

Well, the Rudd governments first new tax arrives and not unexpectedly its a nanny state tax, a tax on alcohol to stop binge drinking.

FEDERAL Health Minister Nicola Roxon has blamed the former Howard Government for the rise in teenage binge drinking.

Ms Roxon said the decision to cut taxes on premixed alcoholic drinks eight years ago helped fuel the surge in excessive drinking by young people, particularly teenage girls.

The Rudd Government overnight reversed the change, virtually doubling the excise on alcopops from midnight, pushing the cost of the drinks up by between 30 cents and $1.30 a bottle.

"We can track the change in the way that young women have been drinking these products from the time that the Howard Government changed the excise in 2000,'' Ms Roxon said to the Nine Network.

Now remember you have to be at least 18 to purchase booze so the teenagers Nicola Roxon is concerned about aren't that young. If she is concerned about underage drinking then I think she needs to ask who gave it to them in the first place.

I doubt a 30 cents a drink tax will have much effect on consumption but it will raise $2 billion. Its just a money raising sin tax.