Government Responses To Inequalities Essay Flashcards
What are the factors for government responses to inequality.
- Sugar tax
- Minimum unit pricing
- National minimum wage
- Baby box
What is background information for government responses to inequality.
- The UK has high levels of inequality, specifically in wealth and income
- The UK Govt. have produced policies to tackle the inequality in the country
What is your knowledge for sugar tax.
- This was a tax introduced for sugary softs drinks, charging 18p per litre if the drink exceeded 50g of sugar per litre
- The revenues from this are used to fund breakfast clubs and school sports
What are examples for sugar tax.
- Irn Bru changed their recipe and cut the sugar in their drink by over 50% because of this tax
- between 2018-2020 sales fell by 34% and between 2018-2023 there was a 12% decrease in children needing tooth extractions
What is your analysis for sugar tax.
- The price increase reduces consumption for many uses and positively impacts their health as it decreases the chance of developing tooth decay, obesity and diabetes
- Risk of developing health problems decreases all while health is being promoted in schools which is encouraging a healthy lifestyle from early years
What is your evaluation for sugar tax.
This excludes other sugary drinks such as pure fruit juice and milk based drinks along with sugary food and so the extents of its impact is minimal.
What is your knowledge for minimum unit pricing.
- In 2018, a minimum of 50p per unit to be charged was introduced for alcoholic beverages and later raised to 65p in 2024
- MUP increased the pricing of most drinks, for example wine can no longer be sold for less than £6
What are examples for minimum unit pricing.
- Since 2018 there has been an 8% fall in sales and therefore illness - there were 411 fewer hospitalisations and 150 deaths.
What is your analysis for minimum unit pricing.
- The more expensive alcohol is the harder it is for heavy drinkers to continue with their volume of drinking, therefore reducing their habit or stopping it from beginning in the first time
- MUP targets the poor and not the wealthy as they can still afford these prices or were drinking the alcohol that was unaffected by the MUP and this is where the issue lies, with the wealthy
What is your evaluation for minimum unit pricing.
MUP does not address the complex causes of addiction and so does not provide sufficient help for alcoholics.
What is your knowledge for national minimum wage.
- The government sets the NMW for under 21s and NLW for 21+ which is the legal minimum amount an employee is to be paid
What are examples for National Minimum Wage?
- 75% of those who are benefitting from this are women and BAME individuals so it closes the gender/race gap.
What is your analysis for national minimum wage.
- There are many employees that would pay less if this didn’t exist and so it prevents inequality, some employees could be paid up to £6,000 less per year
- This discriminates young workers as they are paid less for the same work, yet it can be argued that there are some barriers for under 18s
What is your evaluation for national minimum wage.
This is not enough to keep people out of poverty and does not meet the real ‘Living Wage’ of £12 that was set by the Living Wage Foundation.
What is your knowledge for baby box.
- In 2017 the Scottish Parliament introduced the baby box which is free to newborn parents which includes 40 items costing over £400. It includes thing such as sleep suits and a play mat, and the box is designed so that is can be used for the baby to sleep in.
