New alcohol taxes could solve job-related drinking ‘productivity crisis’
A leading thinking tank called for increasing taxes in alcoholic beverages to combat a “productivity crisis” directed by a established workplace drinking culture.
The Institute of Public Policy Studies (IPPR) found that after drinking at business activities last year, the patient accepted the call.
This figure rose to 43 percent for children aged 18 to 24, more than one third of young people are under pressure to “sit” or drink to advance their careers.
IPPR research also realized that more than five employees worked with one evening, and 29 percent appeared to be “tired or sluggish” because of alcohol.
Before Rachel Reeves’ autumn budget next month, the Thinking Worker emphasized the need for a vital action against the harmful impact of work -related drinking on productivity.
They called on the government to re -introduce the alcohol tax escalator. This mechanism, which was established by the Labor Party in 2008 and was scrapped by the conservatives in 2014, increased all alcohol tax rates by more than 2 percent of inflation per year.
IPPR also said that the government should take action on “the cheapest, the most powerful drinks that cause the most damages” by standardizing tax rates in all alcohol products with the same volume.
In the report, the minimum unit price for all alcohol applied in Scotland and Wales can also be determined in the UK.
The government increased alcohol tax rates in February after being frozen by the conservatives in the last two years.
Health organizations called for a new national alcohol strategy to limit the damage with the last one published in 2012, but IPPR said that the effect of routinely drinking alcohol drowning the efficiency and growth.
IPPR Senior Research Assistant Jamie O’HALLOAN, said urgent measures are necessary.
He said: “We often think of alcohol damage as a public health problem, but this study shows that this is a national economic problem.
“When almost half of the young professionals call the patient after drinking a workplace, it is not only a evening, but a productivity crisis.
“If the government is serious about growth, it has to take the alcohol damage seriously.”
The report showed that most employers did very little to appeal to a workplace drinking culture.
More than half of the workers participating in the survey said that their employers did not provide any guidance, training or inclusive alternatives to alcohol -containing activities.
However, 73% of the workers said that employers believe that they have the responsibility to reduce alcohol damage representing a “open gap between expectation and action”.
IPPR Health President Sebastian Rees applied to employers to take action on this issue.
He said: “Employers have a great opportunity here.
“By moving away from alcohol -centered cultures and providing real support, they can increase welfare, increase performance and create more inclusive workplaces.
“This is not about prohibiting drinks – about giving people a development option without pressure. Evidence is clear: It costs all of us not to do anything.”
In the report, increasing the cost of alcohol products may not be popular with public and political risk.
Authorized, the policy makers by the alcohol industry “continuous” lobbying, the sector’s great contribution to the economy focusing, tens of billions of pounds a year and focused on the focusing on the jobs supported by the sector, he added.
However, IPPR said that this contribution can be exaggerated because most of these works are usually part -time and “low paid”.
The findings of the report were based on a survey of 2,083 employees throughout England.
A government spokesman said: “As a part of our 10 -year health plan, we support people to make healthier choices through our transition from disease to prevention while creating an NHS suitable for the future.
“This also includes committing a compulsory requirement to exhibit consistent nutrition information and health warning messages of alcoholic beverages.
“The government also provided an additional £ 310 million to develop drugs and alcohol treatment services and to improve wider rescue support, including housing and employment aid.”
