Australians could soon be paying more for their pint at the pub, as the hospitality industry feels the pressure of soaring alcohol taxes. Business owners are pleading with the federal government to take action before its twice-yearly tax hike on alcohol kicks in on August 5. Some owners say they have to charge as much as $18 a pint to keep up with rising costs. Countless craft breweries have shut up shop recently as the industry feels the brunt of high costs and dwindling customers.
“You can tell people can’t afford to go out as much as they used to,” Belejova said. “The cost of everything is hard for them to keep up.” Belejova called on the government to help businesses and change the way the excise was applied. “It’s just automatically going up,” she said. “Businesses are struggling ... I think it needs to be a whole picture, not just ‘let’s put the taxes up’.” The embattled beer industry has been hard hit, with multiple breweries closed nationwide in recent months.