Beer gardens may have been booming in the heatwave, but pubs are looking ahead to the winter and seeking a cut in excise duty on alcohol.
In Ireland we pay some of the highest prices in the world for booze and the industry is seeking a drop in duty on alcohol of 15% over the next two years as pubs struggle to recover from the pandemic.
Figures from the Tax Strategy Group (TSG) confirm Ireland has some of the highest rates of excise duty on alcohol products in the EU.
The TSG notes that "this reflects a long-standing policy to support public health objectives".
But the figures also suggest the rate of alcohol consumption in Ireland is dramatically falling, with the TSG noting that in recent years it declined from an average of 11.01 litres per person in 2018 to 10.78 litres in 2019 and 10.1 litres in 2020.
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The TSG figures confirm that Ireland has the highest rate of excise on wine, ahead of Finland. On beer, Ireland is second after Finland and on spirits we are third.
The figures have sparked a call by Paul Clancy, head of the Vintners' Federation of Ireland, for two successive cuts of 7.5% in excise.
Mr Clancy said pubs are being hit by a triple whammy of costs and need support.
A recent report by the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI), showed that 1,829 pubs closed their doors between 2005 and 2021.
In parts of rural Ireland the number of pubs has fallen by between 20% and 30%. Mr Clancy said: "We have experienced a good summer, but winter is coming.
"Pubs are now being seriously affected by the cost-of-living crisis. Every input from food to wages to energy costs is rising.
"Energy used to be 15c per kilowatt. Now it has tripled to 45c. We need a break to keep staff and keep the doors open in winter."
Critically, Mr Clancy said: "Excise rates aren't controlled by Europe. This is something we can do. The cuts would actually bring it back in line with Europe."
The DIGI and the National Off Licence Association have also called, in pre-Budget submissions, for a 7.5% reduction in excise, with a further 7.5% cut in Budget 2024.
But the Government will be loath to let go of a big source of revenue. The total take in excise from Irish drinkers was €1.176billion last year.
Of this total, wine yielded €385million; beer €351million; spirits €389million; and cider €51million.
A reduction of 20c on beer, spirits and cider would see decreases of €122.4million, €86.3million and €16.5million respectively, the study from the TSG revealed.
On wine a decrease of €1 per bottle would lead to a reduction of €55.5million.
