Drinks sector seeks excise tax cut to save rural jobs from hard Brexit

IRELAND needs to reduce its high alcohol excise tax over the next two years to help offset the impacts which a no-deal Brexit will have on rural drinks industry jobs.

The Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI) has reminded the Government that almost 70% of Ireland’s 5,876 drinks manufacturing jobs are located outside of Dublin. A new report for DIGI, ‘National and regional employment in the drinks and hospitality sector in 2019’, authored by DCU economist Anthony Foley, highlights value of drinks and hospitality sector employment to the economy and rural jobs.