The Three-Franc Binge Beer Taxation Law
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knowledge transfer Topic: Federal Office of Public Health CH-3003 Berne, www.bag.admin.ch April 2006/No. 55 The three-franc binge Beer taxation law. Beer is very popular with adolescents and a common binge drink – not least because the beer sold through retail outlets in Switzerland is very cheap. Three francs is all it takes to drink yourself into near oblivion. Against this background, health and prevention experts are calling for a massive increase in the tax on beer, because higher prices have been shown to affect consumption, particu- larly among young people. Michel Graf, Director of the SFA, also hopes that the National Council as the second chamber of parliament will be more receptive to the con- cerns of the prevention experts. He feels that at «the absolute minimum» the Federal Council should be em- powered to raise the tax on beer for health reasons. The fact that preven- tion has deliberately been excluded from the beer taxation law is just as «unacceptable» as the tax itself, which is far too low and «can in no way have a regulating effect on adolescent alcohol consumption, which would enable it to exert a preventive effect.» Simonetta Sommaruga, State Coun- cillor for Berne, feels that «a beer tax- ation law with no element of health protection is not a pure tax law but simply a bad tax law». Sommaruga believes that beer consumption is undergoing a «frightening develop- ment», and sees a clear need to rein- force prevention. Binge drinking by young people is unfortunately on the rise in Switzerland – not least owing to very low beer prices. Problematic drinking habits The average per capita consump- arliament is currently discussing a has joined with the Addiction Asso- tion of beer in Switzerland has de- new law on beer taxation. On 6 ciation and the Study Group on Al- creased slightly in recent years, but in Prevention and Health Promotion P March, the Council of States unani- coholism and Addictions in French- terms of public health it is not total or mously approved a slight amend- Speaking Switzerland (GREAT) in average consumption that is the ment to the existing law: the current calling for a sharp increase in the beer problem, but drinking habits. Apart taxation rate is CHF 24.75 per hec- tax. Research findings and experi- from alcohol dependence and chron- tolitre for all types of beer; the new ence in other countries have shown ic alcohol abuse, there are other pat- proposal is for a rate of CHF 16.88 that high prices have a preventive ef- terns of behaviour that have a con- spectra for low-alcohol beers, CHF 25.32 for fect, specifically among young peo- siderable negative impact on public regular and special beers, and CHF ple. The recent case of alcopops (see health, namely binge drinking and 33.76 for high-alcohol beers. The box on page 4) shows how effective inappropriate drinking (e.g. in con- Council rejected by 22 votes to 18 the this type of structural prevention is in junction with driving or during preg- proposal put forward by the Eco- Switzerland. As This Jenny, SVP nancy). nomic Affairs and Taxation Commit- State Councillor for Glarus, com- tee to reduce the tax on beer. «At mented in the debate on 6 March, «A Alarming increase least this version is the lesser of all low taxation rate boosts consump- Recent findings are alarming. Four the evils,» commented Michel Graf, tion, a high rate throttles it. Con- out of five 13-year-olds have drunk Director of the Swiss Office for Alco- sumption of alcopops plummeted alcohol at least once in their lives. hol and Other Drug-Related Prob- after the tax on them was increased Prevention experts are concerned at lems (SFA). But the health and pre- from CHF 0.45 to 1.80. So taxation is the enormous increase in binge vention experts are by no means clearly linked to consumption.» happy with this situation. The SFA Markus Theunert, Secretary Gen- Continued on page 4 eral of the Addiction Association, be- lieves that part of the problem is that Taxes affect prevention is viewed as a completely Interview consumption one-dimensional activity. «Many politicians don't think further than The prevention experts rejoiced poster campaigns and activities in when the federal government im- schools. They simply don't realize posed a special tax on alcopops in that behavioural prevention, or in April 2004: imports of these prod- other words regulating the market, is ucts dropped from 4.3 million litres the simplest form of prevention.» in 2003 to 1.3 million litres in 2004. Theunert mentioned efforts to pre- The tax on imported spirits, how- vent smoking, an area in which re- ever, was reduced massively cent developments have clearly (50% on whisky and cognac) as shown that structural prevention is long ago as 1999 from CHF 34.50 starting to have an effect. per litre of pure alcohol to a flat rate of CHF 29. A survey of 4,000 Beer is cheaper than bread people carried out by the federal Beer is more popular than ever Hans Gammeter is a general practitioner government showed that con- among adolescents as a low-cost entry- in Wattwil (Toggenburg). He is familiar sumption in general jumped im- level drink. Against the background with the questions and problems facing mediately by 15 to 20%, with a of a massive increase in alcohol con- doctors who have to treat substance- massive increase of 75% among sumption by adolescents, health ex- young men aged 16 to 30 and perts urgently warn against sacrificing dependent patients, particular those in 50% among women in the same the beer tax to economic interests, a methadone programme. To facilitate age group. There has been no tax thereby completely ignoring the as- and professionalize such work, Hans Gammeter and other like-minded pro- P. P. on wine and must in Switzerland pect of addiction prevention. «Beer is since 1937, when pressure from cheaper than bread, so a drunken fessionals set up FOSMUS, the Forum 3052 Zollikofen vintners and farmers forced the stupor costs less than a full stomach,» for Addiction Medicine in Eastern government to revoke the «gener- says Markus Theunert. «Politics has Switzerland, which he has been coordi- al beverage tax» introduced in 1934. failed here, and if parliament is not nateing for the last two years. The tax on beer remained in place. prepared to correct this awful situa- >> Pages 2/3 tion, then it is acting irresponsibly.» spectra No. 55 • April 2006 Topic: knowledge transfer Page 2 Addiction work in general practice: «You can't e Forum for Addiction Medicine in Eastern Switzerland. One in three adults smokes, one in five has an alcohol problem, one in every hundred u fy and professionalize the work done by doctors who provide primary care to patients with dependence problems? This was the topic of a discussion with cine in eastern Switzerland; its goals are to expand collaboration between addiction experts and achieve better results through interdisciplinary cooperati spectra: How did you get in- Are the drug addicts you treat in noticed that they were not working volved in addiction medicine? your practice different to addicts in such isolation; thanks to CORO- Hans Gammeter: I realized while in urban areas? MA they had structures in which I was at medical school that I wanted I've never worked in a health cen- they could discuss their cases. Travel- to go into primary care, but I was also tre in a city, but I would imagine that ling home with another GP after the keen to practise medicine in the third the clients are much the same. But conference, we developed the idea of world. I organized my studies and my there is no heroin-prescribing pro- doing something similar for us. postgraduate training so that I could gramme in Toggenburg, which spend part of the time in Switzerland means that we don't see patients So how did the self-help organi- and part abroad. I spent a total of six who are in such a poor state that pre- zation get started? years or so in third-world countries, scribed heroin is the only option for Two people played a vital role in and that's how I qualified in tropical them. But apart from that we have the initial phase: René Stamm from and travel medicine and in general the whole spectrum of patients, from the Federal Office of Public Health, medicine. With hindsight I think it those who are pretty well integrated whose response was immediate and was logical that I developed an inter- to those who live on the margins of positive; he saw parallels to CORO- est in addiction medicine because society. We also have women with MA and brought us together with the medicine in the third world is social children, and I have seen several people from COROMA. Also Felix medicine more than anything else, pregnancies involving women who Jungi, the cantonal medical officer in where the emphasis is often on trans- were dependent on drugs. Some St. Gallen, who also recognized at ferring knowledge, working out what come into conflict with the law. We once that a structure like this could you can do to keep people as healthy are often confronted with unique be useful to him in his work. During as possible in a disease-ridden envi- cases – and then it is important for us the annual continuing education ses- ronment. Most of my work in the to be able to ask someone who has sion on methadone in St.