CONSUMERS IN IRELAND pay the second-highest excise duty on alcohol in the EU.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s according to new research commissioned by the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI) and carried out\u00a0by DCU economist Anthony Foley.<\/p>\n
It found that excise on wine in Ireland\u00a0is\u00a0the second highest in the EU\u00a0and\u00a0UK, while\u00a0excise on beer and spirits is the third highest.<\/p>\n
This means that a pint of beer\u00a0purchased\u00a0in a pub in Ireland comes with excise of 55 cent, compared to five cent in Spain and Germany.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a 70cl bottle of whiskey is levied with \u20ac11.92 excise in Ireland,\u00a0more than half of the price customers pay, compared to a rate of \u20ac2.69 excise in Spain and \u20ac3.65 in Germany.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There is a similar trend across\u00a0wine, with\u00a0excise\u00a0making\u00a0up\u00a0\u20ac3.19\u00a0of the\u00a0\u20ac11 cost\u00a0of a\u00a0standard\u00a0bottle of wine\u00a0purchased in an off-licence\u00a0in\u00a0Ireland.<\/p>\n
The researchers say that \u201cwhen VAT of \u20ac2.06\u00a0is included, this means\u00a048%\u00a0(\u20ac5.25)\u00a0of the\u00a0overall\u00a0purchase price\u00a0goes directly to\u00a0the\u00a0Government\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And while the rate of tax charged on\u00a0an \u20ac8.50 glass of\u00a0wine in a bar or restaurant is\u00a0lower, it still makes up \u20ac2.39\u00a0of the\u00a0purchase price, when excise of \u20ac0.80 and VAT of \u20ac1.59 are combined.<\/p>\n
The research said this contrasts to 14 European countries that don\u2019t charge any excise on wine, including Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany and Greece.<\/p>\n
France, meanwhile, charges just one cent on a standard glass of wine.<\/p>\n
Foley remarked that the main aim of the report was to \u201cobjectively assess what the rate of excise in Ireland is compared to other countries across Europe\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe results show without doubt that Ireland has a very high level of alcohol excise tax in 2026 when compared with the large majority of other countries,\u201d said Foley.<\/p>\n
DIGI has said that the excise rate is \u201cone of the main factors behind the high rate of pub closures in Ireland in recent years\u201d.<\/p>\n