The government is to ban the sale of the cheapest alcohol in England and Wales, the Home Office has announced. Ministers hope the move, which will come into force on 6 April, will stop the worst instances of deep discounting, which has resulted in cans of lager being sold more cheaply than water in supermarkets.
An official impact assessment says that the ban on sales of alcohol at below cost, defined as duty plus VAT, will mean an ordinary 440ml can of beer or lager cannot be sold below 50p.
The new "floor price" for a bottle of wine will be £2.24; a bottle of vodka or other spirits will cost a minimum of £10.16.
Low-strength beers that have an alcoholic content of 1.2% or less will be exempt from the policy, as will duty-free sales on ships, aircraft and in airports. Read on and comment » | Alan Travis, home affairs editor | Tuesday, February 04, 2014
