In fear of a reversal back to the spirits-drinking era-the 2004 decrease of Finnish alcohol taxes in
public discourse
Engelsk titel: In fear of a reversal back to the spirits-drinking era-the 2004 decrease of Finnish alcohol taxes in
public discourse
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Författare:
Hellman, Matilda
;
Karlsson, Thomas
Email: matilda.hellman@helsinki.fi
Språk: Eng
Antal referenser: 55
Dokumenttyp:
Artikel
UI-nummer: 12043844
Sammanfattning
AIMS – The study investigates how the dissimilar tax reductions for different alcoholic beverages
(spirits, wine and beer) were debated during the large tax decrease on alcoholic beverages in Finland
in 2004. DESIGN AND DATA – The material comprises parliamentary proceedings and discussions, as
well as daily press items (=105) from 2003–2004. Content analyses, both quantitative and qualitative,
were performed. RESULTS – The parliament’s discussion on the unequal treatment of different
beverage types concerned mostly the overall framing of a public health perspective, differencing
between consumption of “spirits” and “non-spirits”. The mass media framed the question mostly
from the industry’s point of view. Neither a clear support of the total consumption model (excluding
specification of beverage sort), nor a strong liberalisation model for alcohol policy were expressed
in the materials. Varying stances were merely motivated within a paradigm of “changing drinking
patterns”. CONCLUSIONS – The differing treatment of different beverage types, especially the large
reductions in spirits taxes, was crystallised as the fundamental public health concern surrounding
the decision to lower alcohol taxes. In the end of the article the authors ask whether the lack of clear
stances other than the drinking pattern framing could imply that the Finnish alcohol policy debate has
become more heterogeneous, neutralised or resigned in its basic nature.