SNP Ministers considering higher taxes on retailers that rake in cash from alcohol and tobacco sales will be weighing up finely balanced arguments.
No one can dispute the toll alcohol abuse and smoking continues to have on families and the NHS.
Alcohol-related deaths are at a 15-year high and the cost to the economy is estimated to be in the billions.
Supermarkets continue to make huge profits and few people would shed a tear if they had to pay more for the harm caused by the products they sell.
But Ministers will also be wary of unintended consequences from introducing a levy on shops that sell booze and fags.
Adding another cost on top of the National Insurance rise from the recent UK Budget could lead to price increases.
Finance Secretary Shona Robison, while no doubt sympathetic to the levy, will be anxious about doing more damage to an aggrieved retail sector.
The politics of the Scottish Budget will also be a key factor in her decision.
First Minister John Swinney wants a Budget of good news based on extra cash for public services.
Hitting consumers with a potentially price-increasing levy could blow that feelgood factor out of the water.
The public health campaigners make a persuasive case but Swinney will also be anxious about picking a fight with business ahead of the Holyrood election.
With inflation creeping up again and the cost-of-living crisis still hurting families, anything that pushes up prices could be hard to swallow.
Wrong direction
THE A82 up the west side of Loch Lomond is one of the most beautiful drives in Britain.
For many years, however, it has been a nightmare for motorists.
Notoriously narrow and twisty, prone to congestion and accident black spots – it is long overdue an upgrade.
But conservation groups have raised concerns over a new “low road” that would raze miles of untouched shoreline and ancient oakwoods.
They’re calling instead for a higher route through the hills they claim will be better for the environment, safer and faster.
This is one of Scotland’s most stunning beauty spots and any option that puts a premium on protecting the natural landscape must be considered.
Value for money for taxpayers, along with the need to quickly progress a solution, will be another big factor, of course.
But the Scottish Government should seriously look at whether this alternative proposal is feasible – and if so, consider taking the high road.
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