Australians are set to fork out about $15 for a pint of beer when the alcohol excise increases again from February 1.
In another blow to alcohol lovers’ pockets, the biannual tax rise is expected to be between two and three per cent, forcing distillers to consider moving business overseas.
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It means the beer tax will rise to more than $60 per litre of pure alcohol, while spirits’ tax will surpass the current $100 a litre.
Fancy a cocktail like a negroni? Consumers could be paying anywhere around $24 for one.
Spirits & Cocktails Australia chief executive Greg Holland told the Herald Sun the tax was making it unaffordable for consumers to drink.
“Continued increases would be nonsensical,” he said.
“Consumers, manufacturers and the government all lose out to this inefficient tax.”
In the 12 months to November 2023, the alcohol industry in Australia has been one of the hardest hit, with cost-of-living pressures, with the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealing a 4.2 per cent price rise.
The same statistics revealed though the price hike didn’t defer consumers from drinking; with spending increasing by 7.8 per cent in a combined alcohol and tobacco category.