Ireland Has Highest Alcohol and Tobacco Prices in EU

Ordering a whiskey or a pint in Ireland may find you with a subtle pain emanating from your wallet. A newly released survey found that tobacco and whiskey costs are 70 percent higher in Ireland than the rest of the countries in the EU. The National Off Licence Association director Evelyn Jones greeted the news with an attack on the Irish government, saying that the results of the survey “highlight the disproportionate and unfair campaign the Irish government alone is waging against the alcohol sector.” These high prices not only affect the consumer, but the supplier and staff who make the spirits.
Bart Storan of Support Your Local Campaign said, “The latest figures reveal that US tourists are often able to purchase a bottle of Irish whiskey for half the price at home.”
The reason for the staggering pricing is mostly due to high taxes on alcoholic and tobacco products in Ireland. ♦