Alcohol, tax on alcohol | The right wing wants cheaper spirits and wines and is met with strong opposition:

The Conservative Party’s program committee is unanimous in favor of reducing taxes on alcohol and sugar to overcome border trade.

But the proposal now prompts several large public health organizations to react, jointly warning the party against advocating such a tax cut.

– We believe that this is the wrong path in a situation where we need good public health, says Secretary General Pernille Huseby at Actis, the cooperation body in the field of drugs, to Nettavisen.

See the conservatives’ response below in the case.

Also read: Conservatives program committee proposes 50-year sentence for terrorists

– it’s populism

Along with the National Public Health Association, the Diabetes Association, the Cancer Society, the LHL National Heart and Lung Disease Association, and the Mental Health Council, Actis calls on conservatives to reject the tax proposal.

– I hope it gives the impression that so many large public health organizations are jointly warning against the proposal, says Huseby, noting:

– It is populism, and the desire to be free for a population that wants cheaper alcohol, where it has not been taken into account that people also want a good state of well-being in the future.

– Risk of multiple deaths

The Secretary General simply fears that people’s health will deteriorate and that more people will die as a result of increased alcohol consumption.

– We have a goal set in Norway to reduce non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and mental disorders, but this is all related to the intake of sugar and alcohol, says Huseby.

He refers with horror to the experiences of other countries, which have done the same.

– Finland did exactly the same, for the same reasons as the Conservatives’ program committee. There, alcohol use increased by 10 percent in one year, and the increase was greatest among regular users and those who struggled the most before, Huseby says.

Finland reduced the alcohol tax by 33 percent in 2004. In addition to increased consumption, the number of alcohol-related deaths also increased, according to the organization.

– Increased alcohol consumption can lead to health problems and the risk of more deaths. There’s no question about that, Huseby says, referring to estimates from the National Institute of Public Health that also estimate that higher alcohol consumption leads to more violence, accidents and sick leave.

Also read: If this happens, Erna wins again: it may be the first in recent Norwegian history

– Rather cut the fee

Huseby believes conservatives should say no to the program committee’s proposal for several reasons:

– Conservatives have expressed concern about the welfare state and the sustainability of the welfare state. We believe the proposal will increase health spending and reduce tax revenue. In any case, it does not contribute to greater sustainability in well-being, he says.

– But people who want to buy cheaper alcohol already travel to Sweden today, so will there be any difference in consumption if they buy in Norway?

– We do most of the action in Norway and when the price is lower we fear it will have the same effect as in Finland. If the conservatives want to reduce cross-border trade, a better alternative is to reduce the quota. This will make cross-border trading less attractive. Then we keep the jobs in Norway, says Huseby.

– Will harm public health

He is supported by the Secretary General of the Cancer Society, Ingrid Stenstadvold Ross.

– We do not have to choose between employment and public health, it can be solved by reducing quotas for cross-border trade and eliminating the duty-free regime. The status of the crown has shown how important good public health is. This is not the time to relax important public health measures, Ross tells Nettavisen.

The National Public Health Association and the Diabetes Association also warn against the proposal to reduce alcohol taxes in Norway.

– This is a regrettable proposition that will harm public health. There are already significant health problems associated with obesity and the harmful use of alcohol. We’re in the middle of a corona pandemic, and then it’s very important to facilitate good public health decisions, says Secretary General Mina Gerhardsen of the National Public Health Association.

– Making sugar and alcohol more available is going in the completely wrong direction. Conservatives should focus on measures to make it easier for us to make healthy and good choices, rather than making what we fill up cheaper, says Secretary General Bjørnar Allgot of the Diabetes Association.

– Success that we want to copy

But the leader of the Conservative Party nominations committee, Linda Hofstad Helleland (H), defends the proposal.

– It’s about getting people to work and helping people have a chance to pay their bills. We want people’s sugar intake to be reduced, but we also have other measures for that, Helleland tells Nettavisen.

She points out that last year Norwegians traded cross-border for almost 17 billion. But after the crown closed the country, this has dropped by almost 8 billion.

– This is money that now rather goes to Norwegian stores that can also hire people who have lost their jobs, he says, adding:

– Denmark did what the Conservative Party program committee proposes as early as 2000. Since then, cross-border trade from Denmark to Germany has been cut in half. This is the success we want to copy.

Helleland points out that different considerations should always be weighed against each other when formulating policy.

– We don’t want people to drink more alcohol or eat more sugar, but we recognize that when prices in Norway are so high compared to our neighboring countries, it creates an incentive for people to buy what they should have in Sweden from anyway. For conservatives, it’s exclusively about jobs and tax revenue that we need to ensure our well-being, rather than exporting to Sweden, he says.

On Monday morning, the Conservative Party program committee will present its first draft of a new parliamentary election program for the period 2021-2025.