First cigarettes now beer: Taxes and inflation make alcohol a luxury as brewer reveals slabs have reached $65

Coopers Brewery managing director Michael Shearer says Australia’s twice-yearly alcohol excise increases are unsustainable as the price of a slab of beer reaches $65. He warns that rising legal prices could push more people towards illicit alcohol, repeating some of the problems associated with the country’s illegal tobacco trade.

The Australian Taxation Office estimates $1.23 billion in alcohol tax was lost to illegal sales in 2024–25, more than double the 2015–16 figure. The Spirits Council of Australia says tax-free alcohol accounts for 14 per cent of sales. The article also notes that a 20-pack of cigarettes costs about $40, including roughly $28 in tax, while black-market packs average $12; illegal tobacco sales are difficult to measure.