DU99
Well-Known Member
we need someone famous to speak for the micro brewers...
Online News Article On Beer Tax - Www.fairgocraftbeer.com.au
- Thread starter keifer33
- Start date
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Warnie and Liz.
outbreak
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That sounds interesting, so all we need to do is get craftbrew geeks and home brewers to move to the same elwctorate for an election!
Taxation is always going to be a passionate discussion. People ask for the taxes that affect them to be reduced - personally or in business. The fact is the government needs money and they will take it from us somewhere. Luxury items like alcohol and cigarettes with an attached social cost are always going to pay more. Get a bigger tax concession on craft brew and they'll just tax you more elsewhere.
Competition is never a level playing field in any industry. Economies of scale will always result in cheaper cost of production that, in a competitive environment, will (usually) result in cheaper retail prices. I really can't agree with this argument that because we're small we should get a rebate. We shouldn't confuse this issue of taxing business with taxing personal incomes. Running a unviable business is not the same as an individual being unable to earn a high salary.
Currently the WET rebate props up hundred (thousands?) of unviable wineries in the country - they only make profit from the rebate because they have to try to compete with the Penfolds, Orlandos etc on price rather than quality. Therefore given the current climate of taxation (and oversupply) they are totally unviable, except in that the government is giving them some tax back. Read: you and I are giving them some money back. There's ongoing talk about removing the WET rebate altogether - that will be devastating to those (mostly family run) wineries. Do we want to encourage the brewing industry to find itself in the same state, then have a future government pull the rug out from under it?
If in an alternate unvierse beer tax was removed completely, we'd still have the same problem - VB will be cheaper than Murray's Nirvana.
Those of us who enjoy variety and quality be it in cars, food or beer will always need to accept we need to pay more. So for now support your favourite microbrewers as much as you can because it's highly unlikely anything's going to change (unless someone from AHB does run for parliament...)
I don't think the media does the cause many favours with that article's picture caption "Fremantle Microbrewer Justin Fox is urging DRINKERS to sign his petition". I think they should have written Beer Connoisseurs!!
Flame suit on
Competition is never a level playing field in any industry. Economies of scale will always result in cheaper cost of production that, in a competitive environment, will (usually) result in cheaper retail prices. I really can't agree with this argument that because we're small we should get a rebate. We shouldn't confuse this issue of taxing business with taxing personal incomes. Running a unviable business is not the same as an individual being unable to earn a high salary.
Currently the WET rebate props up hundred (thousands?) of unviable wineries in the country - they only make profit from the rebate because they have to try to compete with the Penfolds, Orlandos etc on price rather than quality. Therefore given the current climate of taxation (and oversupply) they are totally unviable, except in that the government is giving them some tax back. Read: you and I are giving them some money back. There's ongoing talk about removing the WET rebate altogether - that will be devastating to those (mostly family run) wineries. Do we want to encourage the brewing industry to find itself in the same state, then have a future government pull the rug out from under it?
If in an alternate unvierse beer tax was removed completely, we'd still have the same problem - VB will be cheaper than Murray's Nirvana.
Those of us who enjoy variety and quality be it in cars, food or beer will always need to accept we need to pay more. So for now support your favourite microbrewers as much as you can because it's highly unlikely anything's going to change (unless someone from AHB does run for parliament...)
I don't think the media does the cause many favours with that article's picture caption "Fremantle Microbrewer Justin Fox is urging DRINKERS to sign his petition". I think they should have written Beer Connoisseurs!!
Flame suit on
