Craft brewers oppose NZ peers’ excise relief bid

New Zealand brewers want to further capitalise on their booming beer exports by accessing a tax break currently only accessible to Australian brewers. By excluding NZ brewers, Australia’s Brewery Refund Scheme that was introduced in 2012 may be in breach of the current free trade agreement between the countries. The NZ brewers say the success of their winemaking counterparts after they were given access to the Australian Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) rebate gives an indication of the scope for growth.