Case Studies

Highlighting Unintended Social Consequences of the 'Alcopops Tax'

Issue: The Federal Government increased the excise on Ready-to-Drink (RTD) alcohol products (or ‘alcopops’) by 70 per cent in April 2008, having an immediate and adverse impact on sales of the category.
Strategy: Ethical Strategies worked with the Distilled Spirits Industry Council of Australia to question the validity of the tax and create a groundswell of opposition to the measure. The unintended health and social consequences of the tax, along with its failure to address the issue of binge drinking were reinforced in all communication.
Results: The strong media and advocacy campaign elicited a high level of opposition to the RTD tax hike – at the community, industry, health professional and political levels. The original Bill was rejected by the Senate in March 2009. A revised Bill passed both houses of parliament in August 2009 despite a wave of public opposition to the blatant tax grab.