Push to change alcohol tax

Major health groups are stepping up their campaign for a Federal tax on all alcohol based on volume rather than price. They say this would raise $1.5 billion a year to spend on public health programs. The Australian Medical Association, Cancer Council Australia, the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education and the McCusker Centre for Action on Alcohol and Youth have written to Prime Minister Julia Gillard calling for a volumetric alcohol tax in the Federal Budget. They say a simplified tax would not only provide a financial windfall for health campaigns but would also reduce the harm from alcohol misuse, which cost the community $36 billion a year, reports The West Australian.