The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has reacted to the Queen’s Speech, which highlights National Insurance and irresponsible drinking.
Stephen Robertson, BRC, director general, said: “Scaling back the planned National Insurance increase is a good start – though it could go further.
“Any increase in National Insurance is a tax on jobs and undermines retailers’ ability to maintain and create employment. Raising National Insurance will hamper retailers’ ability to maximise their contribution to the recovery.”
In response to the alcohol debate, Robertson said: “Irresponsible drinking is a complicated issue with deep seated cultural causes.
“Retailers are investing heavily in initiatives to tackle the problems associated with excessive alcohol consumption, such as Challenge 25, providing significant funding to Drinkaware and rolling out the Department of Health’s voluntary alcohol unit label on thousands of own brand products.
“Supermarkets have the best record of any type of outlet in preventing under-age sales. That’s not driven by the scale of the penalties. Persistent offenders already face tough sanctions with the threat of losing their licence being the ultimate price to pay. We don’t need even more legislation. What we need is effective enforcement of the current laws, including those aimed at under-18s trying to buy alcohol.
