AUSTRALIA | Pub-goers are outraged at the cost of beer, which has only continued to rise according to industry leaders.
Australian pub-goers have expressed their outrage at the “frightfully” high cost of two pints of beer, with others accepting that it is the new norm.
A Melbourne bar has caused a viral uproar on social media, after one punter posted a photo of two pints of ginger ale costing AUD $42.40. Many comments suggested the beverages were alcoholic.
One social media user said they had refused pints at this price before, and suggested others ask before they pay. Another said that it didn’t surprise them, adding that it wasn’t uncommon for a Melbourne bar to charge upwards of $12 per drink.
According to the Consumer Price Index, the average cost of alcohol rose by 6.6 percent between August 2023 and August 2024. In February 2024, it was reported that the average price for a pint of beer in Australia was AUD $15.
A beer tax hit customers in early August, which meant a 2.2 percent in just six months. The beer tax has now gone up by more than 10 percent since the last Australian federal election.
“A 10 per cent increase in the 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,” said John Preston, CEO of the Brewers Association of Australia.
“While the Treasurer inherited these automatic half-yearly 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.”
Under the previous Coalition Government, Australians saw almost 20 beer tax increases, which have driven Australia’s beer tax rate to amongst the highest in the world. In fact, Australia has overtaken Japan to have the third highest tax in the world with only Norway and Finland taxing beer at a higher rate.
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