The average price of a schooner in Canberra is $7.50, making it the least expensive capital city in Australia to have a beer.
As of February 1, however, the brewing business will be subject to a tax increase, and brewers warn that it would be difficult for them to avoid passing costs on to customers.
On Wednesday, beer drinkers will be smacked with the second substantial tax increase in six months, with some predicting that the price of a schooner may reach $12 in some locations.
The beer tax is tied to inflation, which reached its largest yearly increase since 1990 earlier this week.
For the fourth consecutive quarter, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased by 7.8 percent year-over-year.
The average price of a schooner in pubs in Canberra is $7.50, making it the city with the cheapest beer in Australia.
As a result, the tax on draught and packaged beer is projected to increase by 3.7%, or nearly $1.50 per slab.
It follows a 4% increase in August and puts the total increase to nearly 8% in just six months.
Australia’s beer tax is currently the fourth highest in the world, behind Japan, Finland, and Norway.
The Brewers Association of Australia told the federal government in a letter to Treasurer Jim Chalmers, seen by The Daily Telegraph, that a schooner may soon cost $12 in a club or bar.
John Preston, the head of the Brewers’ Association, stated that the price of a schooner in many areas of Sydney is currently $8, and if the trend continues, it will soon surpass $12.
The BAA has encouraged the Albanian government to freeze the tax on beer sold in bottle shops for at least two years and to cut in half the tax on draft beer supplied in bars and clubs.
The Brewers Association of Australia warned that a forthcoming 3.7% tax increase will result in schooners (above) costing $12 in clubs and bars.
Mr. Preston stated, “These are hidden tax increases that have increased every six months for the past two decades.”
The record increases are making it more difficult to bring customers back in.
Before the anticipated price increase, NCA Newswire calculated the average price of a schooner of draft beer sold in pubs, restaurants, and bars in Australia’s capital cities.
The average price of a 425ml glass of beer is $7.50 in Canberra, with some businesses offering prices as low as $5.50.
Adelaide has the dubious distinction of having the most expensive beer in Australia, with the average 425ml pint costing $9.14.
»Australia’s cheapest schooner was discovered in Canberra prior to a beer price increase«