A planned reduction of the tax on beer by the Australian Government that would mean cheaper pints at the pub has come under fire from both sides of politics.
Conservative commentator Andrew Bolt joined the chorus on his program on Monday, calling it “beyond pathetic”.
He said with inflation and record-high pxjmtzywetrol prices, the government was coming under increasing pressure in the polls.
However, he described cutting the beer tax as “literally pissing money up against the wall”.
“Don’t tell me this will be popular among the punters … or at least among boozers. What universe are we living in here?” Bolt said.
“We do not need to lure people back into pubs. We need to lure them back into their offices, into our factories.”
Earlier, Sky News reported a cut to the tax on a keg of beer from $70 to $35 will be announced in coming weeks as a cost of living measure.
The estimated savings passed on to customers would be roughly 40 cents on a pint, while a schooner would be 30 cents cheaper and a pot 20 cents.
Executive director of parent and carer activist group The Parenthood Georgie Dent also took a dig at the tax cut on social media.
“So spending money on an essential service like early childhood education care is bad, but a tax cut for cheaper beer is good?” she asked.
The policy also came under fire for being targeted primarily at men when it was first floated, however industry reps say the overall impact on the hospitality industry will be positive.
Bolt’s criticism extended to the threat of world war three, which he said Australia was facing without “ missiles and advanced jets”.
In a 2020 column for the Herald Sun, Bolt said “drunks” were “shameful”.
“Don’t drunks know how boring they are? How unfunny? How sad and stupid they often seem? And what a menace they can be?” he said.
“What is there about getting drunk that’s good?”
