By Aaron Cordy
A COUPLE of quiet beers to unwind just became a little harder on the pocket as the ‘beer tax’ went into effect Monday, February 3.
The 84th hike since 1983, when the twice-yearly tax increase was introduced, has outraged brewers and publicans who fear the continued raising of taxes will put a stranglehold on their businesses as pubs and clubs around the country have closed in recent years.
“The way the cost of living is nowadays, and alcohol going up twice a year, it is certainly going to make it harder for us, no doubt. It’s like the Government is trying to put us out of business,” said Aussie Hotel owner Paul Tsorbaris.
“It’s ridiculous. Putting the tax up twice a year, then they put up the CDS, cash for cans. People don’t realise they’ve got to pay for that too. It just keeps going up, up and up. A slab of beer is going up nearly two bucks, and with the way the cost of living is now, can people afford it, probably not. So, at the end of the day, it does affect us.”
Although the notion is not new with the latest increase being the 84th, Aussie drinkers have had enough. This was echoed by the Brewers Association of Australia who claim Australia’s beer tax is the 4th highest in the world.
“On behalf of brewers and beer drinkers across Australia, we are asking for urgent action to address the high rates of beer tax. We already have one of the highest beer tax rates in the world – there is no need for it to keep going up twice a year,” said Brewers Association of Australia CEO, John Preston.
The UK reduced its beer tax to protect its brewing industry, grow hospitality jobs and assist businesses to recover from COVID-19. But in Australia, patrons pay over $20 in tax for every slab of beer they buy at the bottle shop and over a dollar for pint, with another increase set for August this year.
“It’s what we do, go out for a bit of a social life, and go out and have a drink. It’s going to become rarer and rarer, I think. I hope not, but we’ll see what happens,” said Paul Tsorbaris.
