YOUR SAY 
Will tax increases on 'alco-pops' tackle Australia's binge-drinking culture? The Rudd government has lifted the excise on the popular pre-mixed alcoholic drinks in an effort to stop binge drinking by young people. Will it work?
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SBS, you bunch of wowsers! I can't believe 'bitch pop' didn't get past the moderators. Shame on you...it is common parlance... If I need to qualify my comment with an actual opinion, here it is. If kids wish to get drunk, they will find a way, just as the illegality/price of drugs does not stop those who are keen. Cheap vodka and lemonade is not too difficult to source.
I think you'll find the correct term is actually "bitch pop"...
When I used to drink under age we used to get a whole bottle of spirits and split it between 2 or 3 of us. The result was very drunk sick teenagers who didn't learn about how to measure and control their intake of alcohol. I think that having premixed drinks encourages people to drink more sensibly as the alcohol is measured. However I support the move to discourage teens from drinking as alcohol is a huge problem. I think that it would be a better move to address the culture of drinking. Much harder but more successful in the long term.
Well said Rob from canberra ,i agree completely !they need to stop the spin !and transparency ?thats a joke when they just vetoes the work choices document ,what are they hiding ??
Money-grabbing tax. For those of us (adults) who enjoy a casual drink mixer, like a bourbon and cola, this is really unfair. Today I saw a single can go from $5.99 to almost $8 a can - crazy; a six-pack now costs $32! Think the supposed target teens for the tax won't just buy a bottle instead? I know I'll be buying bottles instead of the occasional can.
Not only or brightest and best youngsters will find out soon that getting a bottle of vodka 4l of Coke for a good mix will beat the tax on alco pops any time. Well intended, but if you got a road train stuck in your lounge room you can't use a scooter to pull it out...
Maybe I was just a delinquent youth (I doubt it) but kids are going to find a way to drink regardless of the taxation. The presence of a bottle of full strength vodka was just as prevalent at the teenage parties I attended as cruisers and breezers. In all honesty, this seems like a pretty stale way to combat the alcohol 'problem' - it sounds more like a simplified example of manipulation of supply and demand out of a Year 12 microeconomics text book than one being proposed by a major government. Why younger teenagers are drinking more alcohol is a complex problem, and thus requires complex solutions. All this increase in tax will do is ensure the kids with higher incomes will have sugary drinks at their disposal, while poorer kids will be stuck again with the swill. Instead attempting to manipulate the demand, we should understand why it's there in the first place - and then work from there.
There is nothing wrong with increasing the cost of purchasing alcohol. As a drug, it is too accessible. Well done to the government.
I am generally supportive of Rudd’s government and I admit that I couldn’t stand John Howard one iota, but this alcopop tax just stinks of money grab and not actually doing anything about the problem. I also find Nicola Roxon’s attempt to blame Howard just plain stupid, in fact the Rudd government cannot continue to blame the last government for everything and think they will get away with it. The younger generation face high Hecs bills for study, increased rents, and generally higher costs everywhere. They are a generation who will face great difficulties in buying a house. Taxing again is not the answer, and why should the majority who drink moderate amounts of alcopops have to pay for the few that binge? No mention of adults drinking these mixes is made either. As with prohibition, young people (and those of any age) will always find ways to get drunk cheaply if they want to. In Canberra whilst walking in parks and recreation areas I have sometimes come across 'night before' party rubbish – plastic cups and empty water bottles, empty vodka bottles, and left over red cordial. Even the very young ones find a ways to consume alcohol and sugar if they want to. Although I agree that something has to be done about alcohol abuse, this latest band-aid is shallow and ridiculous. It also reeks of a paternalistic decision making without consultation of the younger generation as to why they binge.