TOPIC:

As alcohol is the single biggest motivation for cross-border shopping trips per IBEC, do you think there is any change of an excise duty drop in December?

I understand h/t IBEC "we have the highest excise in Europe for wine and the second highest for beer and spirits. The North now accounts for almost half of all alcohol sales on the island because of cross-border shopping and the imbalance needs to be rectified."

No, because it would have to drop by so much to make any dent in the huge price difference. Part of the problem is currency related which is outside our control. You can get beers such as Hobgoblin up there for £1.

I thought someone posted a report here recently that said the UK had a higher rate of alcohol tax?

I'll be hitting enniskillen the weekend, think i'll be stocking up on my beers up there!!

people will go anywhere for cheap booze and fags

I doubt very much there will be any reduction in alcohol duty (as welcome as it would be), in any budget these things have a habit of going only one direction and that is UP. I think at the moment though they just can't put it up anymore, our alcohol duties are at critical level where the laws of diminishing returns now apply. IE. they put up duty rates again and they take in less revenue because of both cross-border shopping and people just stopping purchasing such expensive products.
When you compare prices in Ireland to any other jurisdiction we are just nuts, particularly on spirits.

I was in Spain last week I bought a bottle of Mount Gay Rum , a 1 liter bottle was €12.
The same bottle here would be about €40 the duty alone being around €20 ,and then just to rub it in deeper they apply a 21.5% V.A.T. charge to that duty.
It is bordering on the ridiculous.(Actually it's not bordering on it!)


The rip-off does not only apply to the Government ,you should also give thanks to a few off the multi-nationals that operate here, that charge us Irish more for products (regardless of taxes) then anywhere else in Europe.
Products that are made here !!!
Jameson for instance, made in Ireland (exclusively as it is Irish Whiskey) shipped to Italy or Spain ,shipped back again by a non-agent importer, then sold legitimetly (all duties and taxes paid) back in Ireland approx..10% cheaper then "Irish Distillers" sell direct to it's Irish customers.
Somebody make sense of that one for me ?!? <!-- s:shock: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_eek.gif" alt=":shock:" title="Shocked" /><!-- s:shock: -->
Jameson thats been on holidays in Italy, all that transport cost,and still cheaper then domestic market product.
Trust me Jameson are not the only culprits.

END OF RANT
I'm off to buy a tank and a few armilites ,It's time for a revolution.

<!-- s:roll: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_rolleyes.gif" alt="" title="Rolling Eyes" /><!-- s:roll: -->

&amp;quot;drinkstore Stoneybatter&amp;quot;:cspnmmab wrote: I'm off to buy a tank and a few armilites ,It's time for a revolution.

<!-- s:roll: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_rolleyes.gif" alt="" title="Rolling Eyes" /><!-- s:roll: -->[/quote:cspnmmab]
Have you seen the price of petrol? <!-- s:lol: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_lol.gif" alt="" title="Laughing" /><!-- s:lol: -->