Govt Nets P180m From Alcohol Levy

The 30 percent levy was introduced as a presidential directive to curb alcohol abuse especially among the youth. In his State of the Nation address last Friday, President Ian Khama said steps taken last year to address alcohol abuse have started to yield some positive results with a significant reduction in excessive and irresponsible alcohol drinking.
He said the money raised through the levy would continue serving its intended purpose in programmes geared towards youth empowerment, education and rehabilitation of victims of alcohol abuse. This, he said, was because the campaign was aimed mainly towards the youth, as they were the most vulnerable group.

He said the money would further be used to provide additional funding to the youth development fund, formerly the Out of School Youth programme. Alcohol and substance abuse campaigns have been identified as one area that still needs additional funding.