Looks like a painful year for us alcoholics in Singapore, what with the 25% jump in taxes on alcohol as part of Budget 2014 (announced Feb 21).
25% doesn’t sound like much, but according to a Facebook post by the owner of beer distributor Beerstyle Winston Kwang, “there is a multiplier effect. Supplier increase[s] bottle price by 50 cents, retailer increase[s] by $1. And that’s just for coffeeshops.”
“It is officially too impossibly expensive to get drunk in Singapore,” writes local news site Mothership, who also suggests heading out to “Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam” for more cost-effective boozing.
For those of us who are staying in town, Brewerkz, Café Iguana and The Spiffy Dapper are planning NOT to hike up their prices. The former two will absorb the tax increase, while the latter writes on Facebook: “We are gonna stick with our prices. Mostly because we can’t be bothered to count the change or print the new menu.”
And for all you beer guzzlers, here’s another alternative. “I’d say the next big trend in Singapore is to brew your own beer. It is legal, though limited to 30 liters [per month] per household,” tweets rubbadubbaducky. Now is definitely the time to get your hands on those homebrewing starter kits.
ETA: We’ve just heard House of Dandy will be maintaining their drinks prices as well. Good work, guys. For beer promos to get you through these tough times, click here.
