MYTH: It’s a tax on the poor.

FACT: It’s not a tax and it doesn’t target the poor – it targets cheap, strong alcohol traditionally drunk by those who need the most help. Evidence shows that people on lower incomes are more likely to abstain or be moderate drinkers.

MYTH: Alcohol is already too expensive.

FACT: This isn’t true. In 2011, alcohol was 45 per cent more affordable than it was in 1980. Alcohol can kill, but in some places it’s cheaper than a bottle of water.

MYTH: The responsible majority will be penalised for the minority who drink too much.

FACT: The current policy of low alcohol prices means that responsible drinkers are subsidising the behaviour of 25 per cent of the population who are drinking at increasing and higher risk levels. This measure is targeted at helping vulnerable groups who need the most support, not the majority, who have nothing to fear. Under a minimum 50p per unit, moderate drinkers would pay just 28p extra a week.

MYTH: If supermarkets make less money through alcohol they’ll increase the price of other goods.

FACT: No, they won’t. If anything, it will make them less expensive. Supermarkets use alcohol as a loss leader and as a consequence have increased the price of non-alcoholic goods. The government is calling on supermarkets to reduce the price of other goods instead of using alcohol as a loss leader.

MYTH: This move will make England a nanny state.

FACT: It won’t be a nanny state.

When an industry’s actions or an individual’s choices ruin the lives of others, particularly vulnerable groups like children, it’s the duty of the state to intervene.

MYTH: It won’t make a difference – people will consume the same amount as they always have.

FACT: Our culture hasn’t always been like this. We’re drinking twice as much as we did in the 1950s. There is a clear association between affordability and consumption, so putting up the price will make a difference.

Research from Sheffield University has found that a minimum price of 50p per unit of alcohol would reduce consumption by 6.9 per cent per drinker on average; by 7.3 per cent per 11 to 18-year-old drinker; by 3 per cent per 18-24-yearold hazardous drinker; by 10.3 per cent per harmful drinker and by 3.5 per cent per moderate drinker.

MYTH: It’s illegal to set a price limit.

FACT: Both UK competition law and EU free trade law allow for the setting of a minimum unit price for the retail sale of alcohol by a government or public authority for public health purposes. The EC treaty states that restrictions on the free movement of goods can be justified if implemented on the grounds of public policy and the protection of health. The European Court of Justice has accepted the right of member states to use pricing measures to control consumption and harm for public health objectives.

MYTH: It will lead to a growth in the illegal alcohol trade.

FACT: This is another industry excuse to do nothing. We can learn from our partners who work to tackle smoking problems. For example, despite fears that cash-strapped smokers would turn to illicit tobacco during the recession, the volume of illicit tobacco bought in the North-East reduced by 39 per cent between 2009 and 2011. This had an estimated saving of more than £36m in lost duty and VAT evasion. Illicit trade is a threat to controlling the sale of alcohol and is already alive and well. According to the World Health Organisation, policing and control is the solution to illicit trade.

MYTH: Europe doesn’t have a problem and alcohol’s cheaper there. It’s about culture, not price.

FACT: It’s a myth that Europe doesn’t have a problem with alcohol – Europe has the highest drinking levels in the world. Affordability, availability and promotion of alcohol have created the alcohol culture we have today. We need to use the same levers to put the genie back in the bottle.

MYTH: A minimum unit price will hurt my favourite pub.

FACT: It won’t affect prices in the average community pub but it will close the gap between pub and supermarket prices. Around four in five publicans back a minimum unit price.

MYTH: This is prohibition.

FACT: It’s not about stopping people enjoying alcohol. Alcohol is a drug linked to more than 60 medical conditions.

It is also the third biggest risk factor for disease and disability in the world. We can’t treat it the same way as we do an everyday product like a tin of beans.

MYTH: This move will lead to job losses.

FACT: Jobs are already being lost because small businesses such as pubs and off licenses can’t compete with cheap supermarket alcohol. CAMRA estimates that 16 pubs a week are closing their doors – and many off licence chains have disappeared because they can’t compete with supermarket prices. A minimum unit price will help to level the playing field, so drinking at home will no longer be more attractive than going out and having a good time. This would clearly have a beneficial impact on the night-time economy.

MYTH: Dependant drinkers will turn to crime in order to feed their habit.

FACT: Alcohol is already a major cause of crime. In fact, almost half of all violent crime is alcohol related.

We need to tackle this and a minimum unit price is an important part of the solution. We know there’s a clear link between affordability and consumption. We also know that a minimum unit price is not a silver bullet and that those who turn to crime to feed an alcohol habit clearly also require treatment.