THE price of the cheapest booze is being kept artificially low by supermarkets – fuelling problems for groups dealing with alcohol abuse.

That’s the view of the Fife Alcohol Support Service (FASS), who are left to pick up the pieces and help those who have a drink problem.

They’ve highlighted research from Sheffield University which found supermarkets are not passing tax increases fully onto the price of the cheapest beers and spirits.

FASS chair John Hamilton said, “This is a most surprising and worrying trend in the pricing of alcohol and is only one facet of a growing number of such instances where the pricing of alcohol is abused and manipulated differently than was originally planned.

“With recently published information that certain wines and spirits are actually getting stronger, and certain alcohol adverts breaching the laid-down code of conduct, this just demonstrates what an uphill battle the FASS counsellors have to face regularly in trying to combat the abuse or misuse of alcohol throughout Fife.” The research found price rises for cheaper booze were up to 15 per cent below the level expected if the tax increase had been passed on fully and properly.

The findings suggested retailers responded to increases in alcohol taxes by “under-shifting” – raising prices below the level implied by the tax increase – their cheaper products.

It said they then “over-shift” their more expensive products by raising prices beyond the level implied by the tax increase.

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