Tweet Facebook Mail An evening gin and tonic or party-time margarita is set to get more expensive after Australia's spirits tax lifted again today. It's now at $103.89 per litre - the third highest in the world - after the recent six-monthly CPI indexation.
And distilleries, venues, and punters are all set to cop the hit. READ MORE: Australia's terrorism threat level raised to 'probable' The spirits tax has risen to $103.89 a litre.
(Getty) Craig Michael, director of Bellarine Distillery in Drysdale, Victoria, said the tax is now $25 per litre higher than when the company began operations in 2015. "These six-monthly increases are becoming increasingly difficult for our business to sustain, and they are impossible to plan for," he said. "How can we accurately undertake financial modelling and make business decisions if we don't know what tax rate we will be paying in six months' time?" READ MORE: 'Worst season ever': How things got ugly on Greece's 'Instagram island' Producers, vendors, and drinkers will all cop some of the impact.
(Brock Perks) Night Time Industries Association chief executive officer Mick Gibb said the six-monthly tax increases are beating down struggling hospitality venues. "Every time the tax increases, the bar owner has to pay more for the tequila in that margarita, the gin in that martini or the vodka with that soda," he said. "Sometimes venues have no choice but to pass on these costs by increasing their prices.
That ends up hitting the hip pockets of everyday punters who then say, 'I'd love to go out more, but I just can't afford it'." READ MORE: The Sydney mansions that have been sitting empty for years Australian Distillers Association chief executive Paul McLeay called for the government to freeze the tax, which under the Morrison and Albanese governments has risen by more than 20 per cent since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase for spirits follows a similar lift for beer on August 1.
The latest increase will mean beer drinkers will pay $20 beer tax for a slab of full-strength beer, or almost $4 in beer tax when buying a round of four full-strength pints, the Brewers Association of Australia said. OLYMPIC HUB: You can find all the latest Paris 2024 stories from Wide World Of Sport here Novak's beautiful moment with daughter after finally winning Olympic gold View Gallery "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," CEO John Preston said.
"While the Treasurer inherited these automatic half-yearly beer tax increases, we're calling on the government to step in and take some action before a trip to the pub or a dinner out with the family becomes an unaffordable luxury for most Australians." Watch every moment, every medal of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 live and free on Channel 9 and 9Now . Plus, every event ad-free and in 4K on Stan Sport .
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