Excise increases put future growth of the drinks industry at risk, the DIGI has warned today.
Speaking at the Oireachtas Joint Committee of Agriculture, a group representing the DIGI called for a reversal of last year’s penal excise increase fearing its potential impact on jobs, tourism, consumers and growth within the industry.
Peter O‘Brien, chairman of DIGI, said, “Excise is a tax that we simply cannot afford. It is a tax on jobs, tourism and the hard-pressed Irish consumer. “The drinks industry is on the cusp of a period of growth and drinks related tourism is booming. The right policy choices by the government can ensure that this growth potential is realised over the coming years.”
The group also included representatives from the worlds of farming and distilling, who praised the massive contribution that the drinks industry makes to farmers in Ireland, supporting 12,000 farm families by providing demand for 50,000 apples, 200,000 tonnes of barely and 300 million litres of milk every year.
Willie Masterson, a farmer in Bunclody, County Wexford said that growing demand overseas, particularly the booming market for Irish whiskey, will provide much needed support for Irish farms going forward.
“The increase in the global demand will mean a fourfold increase in demand for the ingredients that go into producing whiskey-like the malting barley that comes from our farm,” he told the committee.
“This would provide much needed security for farms like ours.”
© 2014 - Checkout Magazine by Nicole Balmaine
