New Zealand Drinkers Face Higher Bar Tabs as Alcohol Taxes Jump

New Zealand drinkers may have to pay more for their favorite tipple from next month as brewers and winemakers grapple with the biggest increase in excise tax in three decades.

The levy applied to alcoholic beverages will rise by 6.9% on July 1, the New Zealand Customs Service said in a statement on its website. The tax is increased annually based on movements in the Consumers Price Index. In the year through March, the CPI rose 6.9% -- the most in 32 years.

Beer and wine producers are aghast at the tax increase, saying it comes at a time when ...