Will beer soon become unaffordable? Beer tax to rise next year

Remember the lemonade tax? Brace yourself. At least, if you enjoy drinking beer. The caretaker government has decided that beer tax will rise sharply next year. So if you want to go on a beer-fuelled bender, you’ll have to pay through the nose. 

The plans, presented by none other than Prince Pils during Prinsjesdag, are far from mild. A beer could become as much as 50% more expensive. Will a simple pilsner really become something only the elite can afford?!

Lots of alcohol = lots of money

That 50% increase is (fortunately) not set in stone. The alcohol percentage of your beer plays a major role in the price increase. In other words: the more alcohol your beer contains, the more you’ll have to pay. That’s because the excise duty will also be higher. The prices of specialty beers—which were practically unaffordable already—will probably go through the roof.

Hospitality industry and breweries in deep trouble

The hospitality industry and breweries are, to put it mildly, not happy with the caretaker government’s plans. These sectors were already struggling because of rising costs for raw materials, energy and staff. What if people stop buying beer altogether? Then these sectors will find themselves in even deeper trouble. And those concerns are quite realistic. More and more people are already choosing to buy certain products—including beer—abroad.

Dutch beer to become the most expensive in Europe

NH Nieuws reports that a Dutch beer may soon become the most expensive in Europe. Compared with our neighbouring countries Belgium and Germany, the tax on beer would be 80% and 360% higher, respectively. Hallelujah! And that while Oktoberfest visitors already had to pantyhose themselves this year to pay for the high beer prices at the iconic German beer festivals.

Petition against the excise duty increase

The interest group for beer brewers, De Brouwers Nederlanders, is clear: this cannot go ahead. If breweries are to have even a remotely golden-yellow future, the caretaker government’s plans must be stopped. That’s why the organisation has launched a petition. And successfully so: the petition has already been signed more than 50,000 times.

Don’t want to go broke from overpriced beer next year, and do you support Dutch breweries? You can sign the petition via this link.

Read also:

• These are the absolute no-gos when drinking beer, according to top beer sommeliers
• Weizen vs. witbier: what’s the difference?
• These dramatic tax measures will make groceries even more expensive

Source: NH Nieuws