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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 23 Apr 1968

Vol. 234 No. 1

Financial Resolutions. - Financial Resolution No. 5: Customs and Excise—Beer.

I move:

(1) That in this Resolution "the Act of 1967" means the Finance Act, 1967 (No. 17 of 1967).

(2) That in lieu of the duty of excise imposed by section 13 (1) of the Act of 1967, there shall be charged, levied and paid on all beer brewed within the State on or after the 24th day of April, 1968, a duty of excise at the rate of twenty-one pounds and eleven pence for every thirty-six gallons of worts of a specified gravity of one thousand and fifty-five degrees.

(3) That in lieu of the duty of customs imposed by section 13 (2) of the Act of 1967, there shall, as on and from the 24th day of April, 1968, be charged, levied and paid on all beer of any description imported into the State, a duty of customs at the rate of twenty-one pounds, one shilling and five pence for every thirty-six gallons of beer of which the worts were before fermentation of a specific gravity of one thousand and fifty-five degrees.

(4) That there shall be allowed and paid on the exportation as merchandise or the shipment for use as stores of beer on which it is shown, to the satisfaction of the Revenue Commissioners, that duty at a rate provided by paragraph (2) or paragraph (3) of this Resolution has been paid, a drawback calculated according to the original specific gravity of the beer, at the rate of twenty-one pounds, one shilling and two pence on every thirty-six gallons of beer of which the original specific gravity was one thousand and fifty-five degrees.

(5) That where, in the case of beer which is chargeable with duty at the rate provided by paragraph (2) or paragraph (3) of this Resolution or in the case of beer on which drawback under paragraph (4) of this Resolution is payable, the specific gravity of the beer is not one thousand and fifty-five degrees, the duty or drawback shall be varied proportionately.

(6) That section 24 of the Finance Act, 1933 (No. 15 of 1933), shall not apply or have effect in relation to the duty of customs to which this Resolution refers.

(7) It is hereby declared that it is expedient in the public interest that this Resolution shall have statutory effect under the provisions of the Provisional Collection of Taxes Act, 1927 (No. 7 of 1927).

I should like again to get from the Minister the duty rates on the pint of stout as produced by Murphy, Beamish and Guinness and the rates on the different types of beers and ales.

The increase in the rate is £1 10s 3d per standard barrel.

What is it on the glass?

What is it on the pint of stout, the bottle of stout, the bottle of beer and on beer and ale on draught?

The extra duty is £1 10s 3d per standard barrel and it averages 1d per pint.

Can the Minister say now what the duty rate is so that the public will know what they are paying to the State when they purchase pints of stout?

The only thing I can say is that I hope the pint tastes as good as it always did.

The Minister has told us the truth—that he likes to see people consuming drink. Others may feel the same but they express themselves differently.

All I can say is that the price of malting barley is the same today as it was in 1948. The farmers got nothing out of it.

Yes, but it went down and up in the meantime.

It did so.

I brought it to 84s 6d one year. That is all we ever got out of it. That was when Deputy Dillon brought it down to the 50/-.

Deputies

He increased it.

You told Guinness you would leave it at 45/-, but I brought it up to 57s 6d.

What is the duty on a pint?

1/- roughly. 1/- out of 2s 6d or 2s 7d.

It is only 2s 1d or 2s 2d down our way, you know.

Question put and agreed to.
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