<p><strong>Why is alcohol so expensive in Australia?</strong></p>

<p>It is mostly due to taxation. But not all of it is.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>The World Health Organisation’s latest Global Alcohol Report put Australia in the second-highest band of alcohol consumption: total per capita consumption is between 10 and 12.4 litres of pure alcohol a year.</p>
  
  <p>According to the Australian Hotels Association, around 20 per cent of the cost of beer at the pub is made up of tax.</p>
  
  <p>INCOHERENT SYSTEM</p>
  
  <p>Regardless of whether you think we pay too much or too little, Australia’s current alcohol taxation system is, put simply, a complete mess.</p>
  
  <p>It’s a hodge podge cobbled together over 30 years of deals, dodges and industry favours.</p>
  
  <p>Case in point: commercially produced beer today is taxed at no fewer than eight different rates, depending on a range of factors including alcohol volume and the type of packaging.</p>
  
  <p>Meanwhile, <strong>wine is taxed not on alcohol content but sales value</strong>, meaning the cheaper the wine, the less it is taxed.</p>
  
  <p>At the moment, there are broadly three different federal taxes that apply to alcohol:</p>
  
  <p>• Excise, indexed twice annually in line with the Consumer Price Index</p>
  
  <p>• The Wine Equalisation Tax (WET), which is based on sales value</p>
  
  <p>• Customs duties — a combination of alcohol content and sales value</p>
  
  <p>There is also the flat 10 per cent GST on all retail alcohol sales.</p>
  
  <p>The automatic indexation was introduced by the Hawke Government 30 years ago as a way of avoiding negative headlines every budget.</p>
  
  <p>At current taxation levels, drinkers pay 45c for every 1 standard drink in a full-strength beer. For spirits, which are taxed the highest, it’s an extra $1 per standard drink — a mark it hit for the first time this August. - <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/money/why-do-we-pay-so-much-for-alcohol/news-story/1647c23acc476553ade5d77774b8fa7d" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Why do we pay so much for alcohol?</a></p>
</blockquote>

<p>To this one can add the production price, distribution prices, markup prices at alcohol outlet stores and import costs when applicable (transportation and import duties).</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-05-14T12:02:44.133Z
2019-05-14T12:02:44.133Z
Ken Graham
<p>How is it that alcohol is so expensive in Australia? Is it just because of taxation?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-05-16T17:03:27.473Z
You can buy Aussie wine in the U.K. for the same or less than in Australia.....something wrong there!
Seamusthedog
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-05-16T22:47:11.097Z
Do you think the government lowers the excise on exports so they can make money from selling it overseas in terms of share volume that can be sold overseas
Alexander Quinn
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-05-17T08:06:01.867Z
I believe there is a 3 tier tax system in Australia, state, national and VAT (or equivalent) that keeps the price high. As far as export goes it's the same in a lot of places. You can buy Scotch cheaper in Oz or Spain etc than you can in Scotland. It's the international trade scam 'sell us your thing cheaper than you sell it at home and we'll do the same'.
Seamusthedog
<history><australia>
Why is alcohol so expensive in Australia?
Alexander Quinn
# Why is alcohol so expensive in Australia?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-05-14)

How is it that alcohol is so expensive in Australia? Is it just because of taxation?

**Tags:** history, australia

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: You can buy Aussie wine in the U.K. for the same or less than in Australia.....something wrong there!  
> **username_0**: Do you think the government lowers the excise on exports so they can make money from selling it overseas in terms of share volume that can be sold overseas  
> **username_1**: I believe there is a 3 tier tax system in Australia, state, national and VAT (or equivalent) that keeps the price high. As far as export goes it's the same in a lot of places. You can buy Scotch cheaper in Oz or Spain etc than you can in Scotland. It's the international trade scam 'sell us your thing cheaper than you sell it at home and we'll do the same'.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2019-05-14. Score: 2

**Why is alcohol so expensive in Australia?**

It is mostly due to taxation. But not all of it is.

> The World Health Organisation’s latest Global Alcohol Report put Australia in the second-highest band of alcohol consumption: total per capita consumption is between 10 and 12.4 litres of pure alcohol a year.
>
> According to the Australian Hotels Association, around 20 per cent of the cost of beer at the pub is made up of tax.
>
> INCOHERENT SYSTEM
>
> Regardless of whether you think we pay too much or too little, Australia’s current alcohol taxation system is, put simply, a complete mess.
>
> It’s a hodge podge cobbled together over 30 years of deals, dodges and industry favours.
>
> Case in point: commercially produced beer today is taxed at no fewer than eight different rates, depending on a range of factors including alcohol volume and the type of packaging.
>
> Meanwhile, **wine is taxed not on alcohol content but sales value**, meaning the cheaper the wine, the less it is taxed.
>
> At the moment, there are broadly three different federal taxes that apply to alcohol:
>
> • Excise, indexed twice annually in line with the Consumer Price Index
>
> • The Wine Equalisation Tax (WET), which is based on sales value
>
> • Customs duties — a combination of alcohol content and sales value
>
> There is also the flat 10 per cent GST on all retail alcohol sales.
>
> The automatic indexation was introduced by the Hawke Government 30 years ago as a way of avoiding negative headlines every budget.
>
> At current taxation levels, drinkers pay 45c for every 1 standard drink in a full-strength beer. For spirits, which are taxed the highest, it’s an extra $1 per standard drink — a mark it hit for the first time this August. - [Why do we pay so much for alcohol?](https://www.news.com.au/finance/money/why-do-we-pay-so-much-for-alcohol/news-story/1647c23acc476553ade5d77774b8fa7d)

To this one can add the production price, distribution prices, markup prices at alcohol outlet stores and import costs when applicable (transportation and import duties).


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