Tax Hike for Craft Beer Brewers

Many craft brewers have been hit with an increased tax bill this year after Queensland Government increased the state’s emergency management levy almost 900% from $527.80 to $5224.20 in this last financial year.

Designed to stop smaller breweries being hit with the top $90,000 levy, the Queensland Government introduced the new fire levy category in order to help grow the craft beer industry but may have the opposite for some brewers. The new fire levy category is now based on gross floor space.

A spokeswoman for the Queensland Government has insisted that business owners check with their local council that their property has been correctly classified, and to talk with their Emergency Management Levy (EML) unit if they think they have been classified incorrectly or overcharged.

Local brewers are calling the tax increase ‘un-Australian’, ‘sneaky’ and ‘an attempt to kill the craft beer industry’. With brewers now left to re-assess the cost of their beer, some are potentially considering an increase in the price of their products.