France is currently facing some issues with a bill in the Senate that is requesting a higher tax be imposed on wine. They are stating that it's dangerous to an individual’s health so there is also a proposal to label the wine stating “alcohol is dangerous for your health”. These two matters are still awaiting a decision, but one other proposal has been rejected,
which was to make it illegal to allow blogging and internet discussions
of wine and liquors online.
I don't personally agree with any of these proposals. Of
course every government is always trying to produce more income, but
wine and liquors brings in a tremendous amount of money with it being
the 2nd largest export in France. Plus, in European cultures in particular, with France being one of the leading wine producers, it’s part of their culture. That was just one of the greatest things when I lived in Italy is that they enjoyed wine all times of day. I
mean who doesn’t want to unwind at lunch with a glass of wine and not
only that, but it costs less than soda and other beverages! Imposing a tax could potentially hurt the consumption within France itself and their exports. When
it comes to alcohol being dangerous to one’s health I don’t agree
adding a label stating that. In
Europe in particular smoking is very common and I can't help but feel this is far more dangerous to one's health than a glass of wine. I’d rather pick up a
glass of wine any day over a cigarette (also considering I don’t smoke). There
have proven to be many health benefits of wine in moderation. Especially in a lot of European countries children are raised with
wine as part of their culture and I’m sure the abuse rate and the repercussions of alcohol is far less there than in the US. I’m all for being healthy and
consider staying in shape and eating well a big part of my life, but a
glass of wine in moderation won’t be detrimental to one's health.
I guess we'll wait and see how this plays out in France, but hopefully things can remain as is.
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