A mental health tax should be put on beer

This week Leo Varadkar will be proposing a Public Health Alcohol Bill which will set minimum pricing of alcohol products.

As part of this bill, I believe a health levy of 5% should be added to the price of all alcohol and alcohol-related products and the extra revenue collected ring fenced for the mental health services.

When A Vision for Change (AVFC) was published in 2006, the report recommended that a minimum of 8.5% of the health budget should be allocated to mental health to implement its recommendations, including a move to a comprehensive 24/7 community based service.