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THE Scottish Government has reiterated its commitment to introducing a minimum price for alcohol as plans for a similar policy down south appear to have faltered. Scottish health secretary Alex Neil said that the Scottish Government has a “firm commitment” to minimum unit pricing for alcohol, regardless of what happens in England.

PROPOSALS to put health warnings on alcohol labels and ban all alcohol advertising and sponsorship have been branded a step too far by trade groups. The recommendations were outlined in ‘Health First: an evidence-based alcohol strategy for the UK’, which was developed by the Alcohol Health Alliance and published by the University of Stirling last week.

PUBS and clubs will be able to accept military ID cards, EU national identity cards and biometric residency permits as proof of age from October 1. The Scottish Government confirmed plans to extend the range of identification documents which can be accepted by someone selling age restricted products, including alcohol. The move will see military ID cards, EU national identity cards and biometric residency permits join passports, EU photocard driving licences and PASS cards as acceptable forms of proof of age.

A NEW campaign calling for the chancellor to freeze alcohol duty and scrap the controversial ‘escalator’ at this month’s Budget has been backed by trade and business groups. The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), and the Forum of Private Business (FPB) have welcomed the Mash Beer Tax campaign, launched by the Tax Payers’ Alliance, which has seen thousands of beer mats highlighting alcohol duty levels distributed to pubs across the UK.

BUSINESS leaders have launched a campaign calling on the Scottish Government to scrap its decision to delay by two years the next revaluation of business rates. Commercial property firm Colliers International is behind a petition lodged with the Scottish Parliament that claims the move risks having a “devastating” effect on the retail trade.

A GLASGOW restaurant owner last week welcomed the initial findings of a City probe into the sale of interest-rate hedging products (IRHPs) – complex financial products sold by banks alongside or as part of business loans. IRHPs, also known as interest rate swaps, were sold by banks to SMEs, largely between 2001 and 2006, to insure commercial loans against the possibility of interest rates soaring.

THE Wine and Spirit Trade Association is the latest trade group to appeal for the alcohol duty escalator to be scrapped. The organisation, which represents more than 300 companies in the wine and spirits industry, met with economic secretary to the treasury, Sajid Javid, earlier this month to put forward its argument for removing the escalator, which increases duty by 2% above the rate of inflation each year.

FORGIVE me, dear reader, for this moment of reflection. After 11 and a half years on the trade beat, and occupying the editor’s chair for nearly the past eight, I’m moving to a new journalistic parish. On a personal level, it’s the right time for a fresh challenge, but it’s with a treasure trove of memories, and a healthy dose of gratitude, that I make the move. The trade was a different place when I was introduced to its intoxicating mix of people and politics in the summer of 2001. Back then anything seemed possible.

BREWERS have issued fresh calls for chancellor George Osborne to scrap the alcohol duty escalator in next month’s Budget, claiming it is pushing the price of a pint out of reach for many people. The beer firms say the annual 2% above the rate of inflation increase, brought in by the previous government in 2008 and continued under the coalition, is hampering growth in the sector and contributing to pub closures and job losses.

A CAMPAIGN to levy a tax on sugary drinks is another example of the licensed trade being treated as a “cash cow”, according to one of the UK’s biggest pub chains. JD Wetherspoon says proposals put forward by the charity Sustain would heap pressure on an industry already paying more than its fair share to the Treasury. More than 60 organisations, including Friends of the Earth, the Scottish Cancer Prevention Network and the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, have backed a report calling on the government to implement the tax at the next Budget.