From Reuters
Finns drank an average 10.3 litres of pure alcohol in 2004, up by 10% from 2003, according to an annual review on the health impact of alcohol on Finns, carried out by Stakes, Finland's National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health.
Stakes found that 1,860 people out of a population of 5.2 million died from alcohol-related diseases or incidents in 2004, up 20% from 2003. That figure includes a 30% rise in death from cirrhosis of the liver. Finland cut liquor tax by a third in March 2004, in an attempt to counter an expected surge in private imports after neighbouring Estonia joined the European Union, and to try to preserve the state monopoly on alcohol.
Research consistently shows that price is linked to alcohol consumption: lower prices mean more consumption. This Institute of Alcohol Studies factsheet looks at the evidence and discusses the case for using taxation as tool in alcohol policy. See also previous post on a possible retailing price war on alcohol this Christmas.
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