The Federal Government has grossly overstated wine’s role in alcohol abuse and in its health-related costs to the community, according to the Australian wine industry, which is eagerly awaiting the results of surveys by two separate educational institutions to determine the actual cost that wine-related alcohol abuse represents. The Winemakers’ Federation of Australia (WFA) has established a $A600,000 fighting fund to find these answers to use them in an attempt to force the Federal Government to repeal the Wine Equalisation Tax (WET). According to prominent wine industry sources the Federal Cabinet has adopted the view that wine is responsible for around $800 million of the national health bill, a figure the industry believes subject to considerable doubt. Given that it would appear the Government is keen to balance revenue from wine sources with the costs it represents, one would assume that if it were proven that wine cost far less than initially considered, a reduction in WET might be plausible. Or would that be too much to ask?
