Booze set for price hike to tackle binge drinking

The price of alcohol could be set to skyrocket with the government looking at fresh ways to curb the growing trend of binge drinking.

The draft plan would prevent the cost of all alcoholic drinks from dropping below set prices, with those in the industry expecting a base price of $1.50 per standard drink, The Herald Sun reports.

They expect this would translate into jumps in the cost of some of Australia's most popular drinks: a slab of Victoria Bitter rising from around $47 to over $50, and a bottle of Yellow would go from $7 to $10.

While these price increases aren’t too extreme, Golden Oak dry white wine which is around 30 standard drinks could be set to jump from $10 to $45.

The proposal also calls for a flat rate tax on all alcohol, as opposed to the various rates in place for beer, wine, and spirits now. Wine would be the worst hit product if the tax changes, as it currently has a very low tax rate.

Another element of the plan is to push for tougher restrictions on alcohol being advertised at sporting events, specifically ads that provide two-for-one or bulk purchasing deals.