Here’s Why The Price Of Alcohol In Ireland Could Be About To Fall By 15%

Well this is an interesting development...

The Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI) have called on a 15% reduction of the tax on alcohol to help economic growth and encourage tourism. In its pre-budget submission, DIGI said excise is a “direct tax on tourism and that a reduction would support the drinks and hospitality industry, boosting economic growth”.

According to The Irish Times, DIGI said such a reduction would be welcome as the current tax on alcohol penalises the “vital drinks and hospitality industry.” The group claim a reduction in the price of alcoholic beverages would be highly beneficial, particularly for tourism from Britain following the recent Brexit vote.

“Alcohol tax is a regressive and inequitable tax and ours is very high by EU standards. We believe that the particularly high Irish excise tax is detrimental to economic growth and economic activity. We would urge the Government to reduce excise by 15 per cent in October’s budget.”

Maggie Timoney, DIGI chairwoman and managing director at Heineken Ireland

We'll have to wait until the budget announcments in October to see if their submission had any effect.

READ NEXT: At Least 19 People Have Been Killed And 26 Wounded In A Stabbing Attack In Japan