THE Scottish Government is preparing to take on supermarkets and off-licences in the battle against alcohol abuse, forcing them to pay a levy under new plans to make retailers meet the social cost of the country’s “bevvy culture”. Proposals for a “polluter pays” charge have been extended from pubs and clubs to include every shop that sells alcohol in Scotland, amid a growing perception among ministers and senior officials that retailers are fuelling crime and anti-social behaviour by selling liquor… Details of the proposed levy will be announced in the spring and will be subject to public consultation, but Kenny MacAskill, the Justice Secretary, yesterday made it clear that off-licences and supermarkets were now in the firing line for the new measure. “The ‘polluter pays’ principle should apply across the board,” he said. “More alcohol is now being sold in off-sales than through on sales. And the problems of binge drinking are not restricted to city centres – they’re being felt throughout Scotland and in every age group.
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