posted on Jul, 17 2008 @ 03:37 AM
I admit to not having read through the other responses... but I am an Aussie and I think the tax is absolute b/s.
1. As the OP mentioned, the tax has not gone on the bottle of liquor... Which is stupid really, because;
a) more drinks per bottle for less price
b) the pre-mixed drinks have a standardised level of alcohol.
it's only a matter of time before kids figure out they get more "bang for their buck" with a bottle, at least with cans they know how much alcohol
is in them. 90% of young adults i know (talking in the 18 - 30 bracket here) have no idea how much a standard drink is, and will often put the
equivilent of 3-5 standard drinks in a glass they mix themselves.
When I was going through high school a few years back, most kids would only take a 6 pack of UDLs, "Woodies" or a 4 pack of cruisers to a party.
This is probably 12 standard drinks at the most. If they start taking a bottle of alcohol, this is sometimes 2 times the amount of alcohol.
The drunker you get, the more happy you get with the bottle, and end up tipping up to 1/6 of the bottle into your glass (speaking from experience
)
2. I know alot of "older" people who enjoy a drink in the evening, middle class people working honest 9-5 jobs, and combined with the costs of fuel,
food, mortgages, raising a family, medical expenses etc., their only leisurely acitivity has become unaffordable. Not saying that drinking is the
healthiest thing in the world, but with everything becoming more "doom and gloom", their one little escape is becoming a guilty pleasure.