Hike in Liquor Prices not the Answer

I

WITH reference to the letter, ‘Hike in liquor prices’ by Mr S Kamat (NT, June 26), I wish to comment as follows.

Bringing liquor prices on par with those in neighbouring states will not in any way deter the local addicts from their diehard drinking habits, as they will still have the relatively cheaper local feni and urraq to fall back on, just like Maharashtra and Karnataka have their local brews supplied in government-approved liquor shops. Secondly, the booming liquor sales now witnessed in Goa is because of the large number of tourists visiting the state, especially during the year-long festivals, when liquor sales skyrocket to unprecedented levels. Bringing prices on par with other states is bound to prove counter-productive. Not only will liquor sales nosedive with considerable loss of revenue, but tourism will also suffer as a result. Surely there are other ways of curbing smuggling activities across our borders, than hiking liquor prices. Tighter controls and vigilance at our check posts along with confiscation of contraband, fine and imprisonment if implemented in letter and sprit will surely bring about the desired results.

A F NAZARETH, Alto Porvorim

II

THIS is with reference to the letter ‘Hike in liquor prices’ by Mr S Kamat (NT, June 26). Raising the prices of liquor will prove to be counter- productive in all respects. Like it or not, one of the main reasons why millions of domestic tourists come to Goa, is cheap availability of liquor. Raising prices beyond a reasonable limit will prove counter-productive in the long run as inflow of domestic tourists will taper off. Revenue to the state will thus decrease. So far as health is concerned, people who drink liquor will continue to drink, even if the prices are hiked. This will only prove to be an additional burden on the family income and will mean that the wife will get less money to run the home. Moreover, if the increase in prices is too much to bear, cheap illicit liquor will gradually make its way into the state and as we all know this illicit liquor has a very deleterious effect on health.

ROBERT CASTELLINO, Calangute

Senior Citizen Work Force

AGE brings experience and wisdom. With France raising the retirement age to 65, following Britain with 62 and USA with 68, it won’t be long before other countries follow suit. The idea of retirement age was invented by Otto von Bismarck in the 1880s, when as Chancellor of Germany he needed a starting age to pay war pensions. He chose the age of 65 because that was typically when ex-soldiers died. Some may worry that an older workforce will be less innovative and adaptable, but there is evidence that companies with a decent proportion of older workers are more productive than those addicted to youth. This is sometimes called the Horndal effect, after a Swedish steel mill where productivity rose by 15 per cent as the workforce got older. In 1965 the WHO sang "Hope I die before I get old." Today, those who survived drugs, fast cars, or bad marriages are older, and still rocking. Mick Jagger (born 1943) is still swinging, Tina Turner at 70 dances in heels and a mini-skirt. Non-celebrities also remain active, assertive and independent as they age. They fill seminar halls and run marathons. Far from being a burden on society, many of them look like a new human resource to be tapped. In future, old people will be expected to stay in the formal economy for longer. Of course, many older people need health care, but many others are fit, competent and self-sustaining. Aging of the human race is one of the surest predictions of this century.

JOAQUIM PACHECO, Divar