During Jersey’s Government Plan debate, politicians voted in favour of huge alcohol duty increases – and the island’s hospitality industry is braced for impact, according to Jersey Hospitality Association’s Simon Soar.
‘Jersey is set to become one of the most expensive places in Europe to buy alcohol. It’s not great news for the people who live here, it’s hardly a great selling point for visitors to the island, and the consequences for its hospitality industry are potentially dire.
‘Increasing the price of spirits by 14%, and 12% on strong beers and wine, puts the cost of alcohol well out of step with the cost of living, and it’s likely to seriously deter people from going to pubs, bars and restaurants. There’s no demonstrable evidence, however, that it’s going to prevent people binge drinking in their own homes, or lower overall consumption rates and improve public health.’
‘We know that Jersey has the second highest alcohol consumption rate in Europe, but there are a number of factors that cause the rates to be so high. For example, there are certain religions that prohibit alcohol, and Jersey only has very small populations of people from these religions compared to elsewhere. We get a significant number of visitors who come over and enjoy socialising. These things have to be factored in.
‘Regardless of the reasons behind the numbers, there is nothing to suggest dramatic price hikes will improve islanders’ health, not when people can still buy discounted alcohol from supermarkets.
‘The JHA has been fiercely against these proposals from the start and we made our position very clear to Jersey’s politicians. Earlier in November, we presented the arguments, and the evidence, to support our position. We suggested imposing only inflation-level rises on alcohol duty; we recommended charging a minimum price per unit of alcohol, a measure that has successfully reduced alcohol consumption in Scotland. The response from politicians was initially encouraging.
‘Our concerns obviously fell on deaf ears. This outcome is extremely disappointing and it proves that our elected States members do not understand or value the wider contribution made by hospitality to the island.’
