MINISTERS are being forced to tidy up their flag-ship crackdown on cheap alcohol after confusion about whether it applies to wholesalers.
The SNP government has launched a consultation on a new piece of legislation designed to clarify the position on minimum unit pricing (MUP).
Wholesalers who sell to both the public and trade will now have to operate a dual-pricing system, applying MUP to sales to the public but not to trade sales.
After a five year legal battle with the drinks industry, during which hundreds of people died prematurely from abusing cheap drink, the government was able to begin MUP in May.
It means the price of alcohol in shops is now proportional to its strength, with a minimum price of 50p per unit, hiking the prices of cheap ciders and vodkas in particular.
MUP was intended to apply to shops and off-sales, not pubs or the wholesale trade, as the policy aims to reduce alcohol abuse by hiking the price for drinkers.
However the consultation admits there are “differing views” on whether wholesalers with a license to sell to the the public must also apply MUP to their trade sales.
“The Scottish Government considers a legislative change is required to clarify the position for certain wholesalers as regards compliance with MUP,” it said.
“The policy is that only sales of alcohol which are not trade sales should be subject to the minimum price. "MUP has been introduced by the Scottish Government to reduce the level of alcohol-related harm we experience in Scotland.
“Where a wholesaler holds a licence and sells alcohol to both the trade and the public, and where the price of alcoholic products may differ due to MUP being applied, the wholesaler will need to operate a dual pricing system."
The consultation runs until 26 October.
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