Annual government costs of alcohol abuse reach 59 billion-experts

The annual costs of alcohol abuse in the Czech Republic are 59 billion crowns, that is 1.25 percent of GDP, including health care costs, loss of productivity, untimely deaths, crime and traffic accidents, the Institute of Health Economics (iHeta) study has said. The VAT collected on alcohol covers about a tenth of the costs, iHeta therefore suggested raising it as part of fighting alcohol consumption. The annual average consumption in the Czech Republic is 14.4 litres of pure alcohol per person and 900,000 people are considered at-risk drinkers.