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Let's change it up a little. After all, it's Friday, the end of a confounding week. We've had a gutful of politics and some of us are itching for a skinful - perhaps a beer at the pub with friends, a peppery pinot noir over dinner (yesterday was International Pinot Noir Day) or even a peaty single malt with a good book.
No matter what your tipple, you'll be helping the budget bottom line because everything alcoholic you drink is taxed. You might have noticed a recent outcry over a hike in the tax on beer - up 4 per cent, the largest rise in decades. And unless the Treasurer intervenes, there are fears it will go up again come February. Australia pays the fourth highest beer tax in the world but with a trillion dollars worth of debt, the new government will have to think very carefully before turning the tap on this great revenue stream. Aussies love to drink so will probably grumble but wear the higher prices.
Not so in Japan, where the government is facing a collapse in alcohol revenue because the population, especially young people, has stopped drinking. It's got so bad, the National Tax Agency has launched a competition for 20- to 39-year-olds to design campaigns to make alcoholic drinks popular again. The NTA says alcohol consumption in Japan has fallen from an average of 100 litres a person a year in 1995 to 75 litres in 2020. And that's hit the government coffers. Excise on alcohol contributed 1.7 per cent of Japan's tax revenue in 2020. That's down from 3 per cent in 2011 and 5 per cent in 1980. According to the Japan Times, it's the biggest slump in alcohol tax revenue in 31 years. And the pandemic's to blame.
A government actively encouraging its younger citizens to drink more - let that sink in for a moment.
So, how did Australian drinking habits change during the pandemic? The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners reported in January this year that younger Australians had slowed their alcohol consumption during the lockdowns but older Australians, many of whom were working from home and caring for children who were remote learning, actually increased theirs.
Melbourne, the most locked down city in the world, turned heavily to the bottle. The RACGP cited a Victorian study of 43,003 ambulance call-outs from September 2019 to September 2020, which found alcohol intoxication incidents increased with the length of each lockdown. Alcohol-related callouts for men and women in their 30s increased by 18-45 per cent from the previous year.
Happily, The Echidna will not be contributing to the government's alcohol-fuelled revenue stream. A bad flu some years ago - in many ways worse than this year's brush with COVID - flicked some kind of internal switch, I lost my taste for alcohol and haven't touched a drop since recovering. It's saved money, provided a designated driver, ended morning-after regret and bathed the mind in clarity. So this evening, with Antony Beevor's Russia: Revolution and Civil War in hand and border collie at my feet, I'll be enjoying a nice cup of Earl Grey tea.
HAVE YOUR SAY: What will you be drinking this evening? Did your drinking habits change during the pandemic? Does the hike in beer tax worry you? What book are you reading right now and would you recommend it? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Former prime minister Scott Morrison is a step closer to being referred to a powerful parliamentary committee over the secret ministries scandal. Greens leader Adam Bandt called on the House of Representatives to urgently assess whether Mr Morrison was in contempt of Parliament by deliberately misleading the house. Mr Bandt has written to Speaker Milton Dick, asking the former prime minister be referred to the parliamentary privileges committee to investigate the matter.
- A tight labour market has resulted in further falls in unemployment, latest data reveals. Labour figures for July show the unemployment rate fell to 3.4 per cent and is the lowest point the economic indicator has been since 1974. In June it stood at 3.5 per cent. The Australian Bureau of Statistics outlined the drop by about 20,000 unemployed people was due to a tighter labour market which is being driven by higher number of job vacancies and ongoing worker shortages.
- Australia's most vulnerable households are spending an average of more than seven weeks of their annual income on home insurance premiums due to the impact of extreme weather events. The gap between the worst-affected Australian households and the rest of the country is also predicted to widen due to climate change, a report by the Actuaries Institute says.
THEY SAID IT: "My peers, lately, have found companionship through means of intoxication - it makes them sociable. I, however, cannot force myself to use drugs to cheat on my loneliness - it is all that I have - and when the drugs and alcohol dissipate, will be all that my peers have as well." - Franz Kafka
YOU SAID IT: I know, I know - Morrison again. But you're still talking about the portfolio grab and the former PM's "explanation" of it.
Grainne doesn't mince words: "I think this man saw a path to dictatorship. The arrogance supported by extreme ignorance and narcissism is breathtaking."
Ken sees the hand of God at work: "Scott Morrison already saw himself as in co-leadership with the Heavenly Father (not that He was advised of this) so why not a co-leadership role in a handful of earthly ministries?"
David is scathing: "You have distilled the essence of Morrison: deviousness, duplicity, disingenuousness, double-dealing and dung-infused morals. I've never thought he was terribly bright, either. He obviously kissed the Blarney Stone at some point and has the capacity to blather on regardless. Keep up the good work."
Yvonne is impressed with ScoMo's multitasking: "ScoMo proved the old adage wrong, that men can't walk and chew gum at the same time. With his five portfolios as well as being PM and on top of that going to church every week, and then his other religion, rugby league. How busy can one get?"
Barry says the scandal is a gift: "This is great for the Albanese government, the longer Morrison stays the better for the present government. Morrison may be better suited as a pastor or preacher in one of the religious franchises then he can tell all the stories he likes and some people may believe him and he will not have to produce any evidence."
Stuart initially thought Morrison would go but now thinks differently: "I think you're right when you say ScoMo was like a father controlling his wayward kids. The irony is he thinks he was doing a good job. I doubted ScoMo would stay around for long - say six months or so. I'm now afraid he might decide to do a Rudd and stay around until he can step back into the job! In his mind he probably thinks he's the best man for the job."
Rob doesn't think we've heard the end of it: "The Morrison-Morrison-Morrison-Morrison-Morrison issue should not go away. What else did he do? Did the GG know it was going to remain secret? Morrison's press conference was contradictory to his earlier comments. How can we believe anything he says? Thanks again to you both for a great daily newsletter and cartoon." Thanks, Rob. It makes our day to hear you're enjoying The Echidna.