Ireland’s Dublin: According to a recent study, alcohol taxes in Ireland are significantly higher than those in the majority of their European neighbors. According to the study, Irish consumers spend 80 times the excise duty on wine compared to French customers and 11 times the excise charge on beer compared to German consumers.
Only Finland charges a higher excise duty on alcohol than Ireland, which has the second-highest overall in the EU and the UK. Ireland ranks third for both beer and spirits and second for wine when it comes to drink types.
VAT is payable in addition to excise duty. When these taxes are combined, the government receives between 27 and 29 percent of the cost of each drink that is served in a restaurant or bar. Alcohol distributed under off-licenses has an even higher government share: 48% of an 11 euro bottle of wine and 63% of a 27 euro bottle of whiskey are subject to taxes.
Anthony Foley, a DCU economist, conducted the research for the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI). The group contends that given alcohol consumption in Ireland has decreased by almost a third (34.3 percent) since 2001 and is currently at the EU average, such high tariffs are hard to defend.
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