Your favourite beer is getting more expensive—find out why!
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There's no denying the pleasure of cracking open a fresh cold beer after a long day, making the most of a sunny afternoon with friends or tossing some snags on the barbie.
Well, dear members, you might have to dig deeper into your pockets to hold on to this lifestyle. Your favourite brew has just gotten a little more costly, thanks to yet another tax increase.
A 2.2 per cent increase in the beer excise that came into effect recently. This was less than a year after the last price jump made us tighten our belts and frown at our frothy drinks.
According to the Brewers Association of Australia, the beer tax has increased by a whopping 10 per cent since last year's federal election–which is set to be passed on to consumers.
The association said consumers would pay a $20 beer tax for a carton of full-strength beer. That’s almost $4 for a four-pint round of the same kind at their local.
Unfortunately for publicans, every full-strength beer keg now comes with an $80 beer tax addition as well.
John Preston, Brewers Association of Australia CEO, said: ‘A 10 per cent increase in beer tax since last year just shows that these tax hikes are becoming out of control.’
‘We don't believe these increases are now actually raising any more money for the Government. They are just hurting beer drinkers and our pubs and clubs.’
The ABA seeks government intervention to kerb these automatic increases every six months, which they believe, under the previous Coalition government, has led to almost 20 beer tax hikes—positioning Australia amongst the countries with the highest excise taxes globally.
Only our distant counterparts in Norway and Finland have us beat in that race.
But wait, there’s more: brace yourself if you’re partial to a spirit or two. Following the footsteps of the beer tax, spirit taxes have also seen a hike.
The looming threshold of $100 per litre taxation, expected to be crossed by 2029, was met much sooner than we thought.
Paul McLeay, Australian Distillers Association chief executive, commented on this new increase, describing it as reaching 'unthinkable new heights'.
Earlier, he also expressed concerns from the business side of things, arguing that the ‘punitive’ excises placed on spirits served to discourage industry growth..
‘We have already witnessed a few insolvencies this year, and this latest spirits tax increase will be extremely difficult for distillers to stomach,’ he said.
For now, the only thing beer and spirit lovers can do is to be mindful of the cost increase when purchasing their cold ones.
Have you noticed the price increase yet, members? How will this latest hike affect you? Share your thoughts with us below!
Well, dear members, you might have to dig deeper into your pockets to hold on to this lifestyle. Your favourite brew has just gotten a little more costly, thanks to yet another tax increase.
A 2.2 per cent increase in the beer excise that came into effect recently. This was less than a year after the last price jump made us tighten our belts and frown at our frothy drinks.
According to the Brewers Association of Australia, the beer tax has increased by a whopping 10 per cent since last year's federal election–which is set to be passed on to consumers.
The association said consumers would pay a $20 beer tax for a carton of full-strength beer. That’s almost $4 for a four-pint round of the same kind at their local.
Unfortunately for publicans, every full-strength beer keg now comes with an $80 beer tax addition as well.
John Preston, Brewers Association of Australia CEO, said: ‘A 10 per cent increase in beer tax since last year just shows that these tax hikes are becoming out of control.’
‘We don't believe these increases are now actually raising any more money for the Government. They are just hurting beer drinkers and our pubs and clubs.’
The ABA seeks government intervention to kerb these automatic increases every six months, which they believe, under the previous Coalition government, has led to almost 20 beer tax hikes—positioning Australia amongst the countries with the highest excise taxes globally.
Only our distant counterparts in Norway and Finland have us beat in that race.
But wait, there’s more: brace yourself if you’re partial to a spirit or two. Following the footsteps of the beer tax, spirit taxes have also seen a hike.
The looming threshold of $100 per litre taxation, expected to be crossed by 2029, was met much sooner than we thought.
Paul McLeay, Australian Distillers Association chief executive, commented on this new increase, describing it as reaching 'unthinkable new heights'.
Earlier, he also expressed concerns from the business side of things, arguing that the ‘punitive’ excises placed on spirits served to discourage industry growth..
‘We have already witnessed a few insolvencies this year, and this latest spirits tax increase will be extremely difficult for distillers to stomach,’ he said.
For now, the only thing beer and spirit lovers can do is to be mindful of the cost increase when purchasing their cold ones.
Key Takeaways
- The beer excise in Australia has increased by 2.2 per cent, marking the second rise in tax since 2022.
- The Brewers Association of Australia revealed that this increase means the beer tax has risen by over 10 per cent since last year's federal election.
- The association wants the government to intervene and halt the automatic half-yearly increases, as they believe these are causing undue harm to beer drinkers and hospitality venues.
- The tax on spirits has also seen an increase, with the Distillers Association's chief executive commenting that the tax hike has reached 'unthinkable new heights'.