High booze duty something to wine about

IRISH consumers pay 11 times more excise duty on beer than Germans and 80 times more excise on wine than the French, despite falling alcohol consumption levels.

- BY NICOLA DONNELLY

It comes as 15 EU countries pay zero excise tax on wine, with the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI) now calling for a 10% excise reduction in the upcoming Budget.

Research shows that overall excise duty on beer, wine and spirits in Ireland is the second highest in EU and UK, with only Finnish customers paying more.

Broken down by drinks category, Ireland has the second highest excise tax on wine, the third highest on beer and the third highest on spirits.

By way of example, a pint of beer in Ireland is levied with an excise rate of 55 cent, compared to just five cent in Germany.

Similarly, a glass of wine in Ireland incurs excise of 80 cent compared to just one cent in France, while 15 EU countries pay no excise on wine whatsoever.

On a bottle of whiskey, excise duty is over four times higher in Ireland than in Spain, with Irish consumers paying almost €12 compared to their Spanish counterparts who pay only €2.69 in tax.

This is a difference of €9.23, even though the whiskey is produced here in Ireland.