The Thinking Man's Fridge

A report released this morning proves the absurd ‘alco-pops’ tax has had the OPPOSITE effect to what was intended (like every forward-thinking person naturally assumed it would), as teens are now switching to full strength spirits mixed at home in unmetered doses.

So if increasing taxes, and therefore prices, on pre-mix drinks has made the binge drinking situation worse, then by deduction LOWERING the prices would make the problem better, and to me seems like a good proposition.

But do you think that the Australian public would have a hope in hell of getting the prices of alco-pops reduced? Absolutely not. Instead, the government will simply hike up taxes on straight spirits, and probably beer and wine to boot, so that everyone is worse off. Was this entire move just a scam to rake in more taxes from alcohol across the board?

Even if, by the slimmest of chances, the taxes were removed from 'tart fuel', the retailers would only reduce the prices by a small percentage, just like what happens on a weekly basis with petrol price fluctuations, so that the consumers, at the end of the day, are still the ones who are worse off than before the government implemented its narrow-minded and entirely flawed stunt.

As usual, it is the consumers who foot the bill for the politicians’ stupidity, and the retailers’ greed.

Follow up: Just today there was a government boofhead who issued a complaint that a bottleshop was selling ‘cleanskin’ bottles of wine for $2, saying it was far too cheap. Well, just for once, if it cost $2 to produce and sell something at a profit, then I want to pay two f*cking dollars for it - not what some government bullshit-o-crat thinks it should cost. Isn’t that the very basis of the capitalist social system we’ve created? Why does it only serve to benefit people in positions of power (particularly those voted to positions of power to serve the population)? Who the f*ck do these people think they are? Why do I have to hold the hand of binge drinkers and alcoholics, and suffer the consequences for their piss-poor self-control?

What is the deal with these taxes? Is it more important to merely point out a health issue, or encourage people to actually make the change? When the government comes out with this sort of crap every 3-4 months, people just start pulling their hair out with frustration. “Please, Government! Just leave me the f*ck alone! I work 40-50 hours a week to pay record high inflation, record grocery prices, record fuel prices, record taxes, but do you think I can get in to see a f*cking doctor or get a bed in a hospital? All I want is a few minutes to myself to have a bunch of drinks with my mates. At least let me have that!”