Low alcohol products will be cheaper and liquor licences harder to get, if changes to liquor laws floated today by the Law Commission go ahead.
The commission was last year given the job by the Government of reviewing the Sale of Liquor Act.
It considered the contribution of excessive use of alcohol to law and order problems, serious health and injury, and other social harms.
Announcing options the public have three months to make submissions on, commission president Sir Geoffrey Palmer said it was time to "curb the harm" alcohol caused.
"The Law Commission is not proposing a return to wowserism, but the preliminary evidence suggests the time has come to review the policy settings, to reduce the excesses and curb the harm." That view was supported by judges, medical specialists and police, Sir Geoffrey said.
The options were:
* a completely new Sale of Liquor Act;
* measures aimed at curbing harmful drinking, targeting cheap alcohol products;
* reducing excise tax on low alcohol products;
* reducing hours in which alcohol can be purchased;
* a split purchase age for alcohol, making it 18 on premises, and 20 at off licences;
* expanding criteria under which liquor licences can be declined, and expanding conditions that they have to meet;
* introducing graduated licence fees, so that low-risk operators were not unfairly burdened.
