Thursday, July 30, 2009

New Licensing Law - Has the "Penny Dropped"?

Interesting article from the BBC's website today on the effect of the new licensing laws on tourism outlets selling gift miniatures of whisky. Mr. McAskill says that tourism outlets "make money" out of selling miniatures however it is worth noting that most of the revenue from them goes to HMRC anyway andthe mark up for profit is very low- they are sold in tourism outlets as part of their service to the tourist experience. Tourists like to buy them to take home as souvenirs so why should tourism outlets selling such gift souvenirs be subjected to the same rigorous rules as for the pubs, clubs and off-licences? It's also worth noting that the new licensing law is supposed to crack down on binge drinking so it's difficult to imagine that someone intent on binge drinking would bypass off-licences and supermarkets where alcohol is cheaper and go straight to a tourism outlet to purchase a large volume of miniatures to consume in a binge drinking session! It's good to see that as the deadline now looms for the new law to come into force on 1 September, these particular issues, specific to the tourism industry, are being recognised or at least being given higher profile press attention.

Disclaimer: the contents of this blog are not intended form the basis of legal advice. Independent legal advice should be taken from your own solicitor for all cases.

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