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In Ireland, a new law has been in force since the beginning of 2022, which provides for a minimum price for alcohol. Per gram of alcohol, 10 euro cents are charged. This means that the cheapest bottle of wine with 12.5 per cent may not cost less than 6.20 pounds (€ 7.40) in the retail trade. This corresponds to the average price of the cheapest wines in Great Britain, which was 6.18 pounds in the previous year, according to the market research institute Nielsen, and means a price increase of about 50 pence.
Irish wine lovers already paid the highest rate of excise duty in the EU: 3.19 euros per standard bottle of wine - and twice that amount for sparkling wine.
In a statement, the Irish Health Minister Stephen Donnelly justified the increase in the price of alcohol by saying that it would "reduce serious illnesses and deaths caused by alcohol consumption". He also pointed out that pricing "has worked" in Scotland. There, a minimum price for alcohol was introduced in 2018, leading to a drop in drink sales. However, there are fears that many shoppers will move to Northern Ireland, where there is no such regulation. As a result, the Republic of Ireland would also lose the corresponding tax revenue.
(al / Source: drinksbusiness; Photo: wikimedia - the speckled bird)