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From The Times
February 22, 2008

Tesco's risky line

Patrick Hosking: Business commentary

Tesco's attempt to take the moral high ground over cheap alcohol is in danger of backfiring.

Compared with Asda and Sainsbury, it has been more aggressive in discounting lager in the past year — thus possibly encouraging the very binge and under-age drinking it wants to stamp out.

The introduction of rules to put a floor under alcohol prices risks being needlessly complicated.

If — and it's a big if — it is really necessary to artificially push up the price of alcohol, why not just tax it more heavily?

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The money could be used to put more police on the street at closing time rather than just to fatten up the margins of Tesco et al.

patrick.hosking@thetimes.co.uk

Tax it tax it tax it that's all we hear from people who keep going on about any problem we face in this country and it never works. Its not Tesco's job or any other supermarets job to control social or anti social behaviour,that's the roll of society in general and the people we ellect to govern the country on our behalf. Making people responsible for their behaviour and backing this up zero tollerence laws and actions would do far more than playing polical posturing cards on the different positions being taken by supermarkets.

Why should the majority of people who enjoy a drink be punished with more taxation because a small minority act foolishy and drink until they become violent and abusive.

Dave, Mold, Flintshire

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