Australia's beer tax rises again on August 1

The beer tax has been hiked 2.2 per cent with drinkers now paying a $20 tax on a slab of full-strength beer or almost $4 on a round of four full-strength pints.

And publicans will be slugged about $80 in beer tax for a full-strength keg, according to the Brewers Association of Australia.

The tax on beer is indexed in line with rising household inflation twice a year, generally in February and August.

The BAA said the latest rise means the beer tax has now gone up by more than 10 per cent since the May 2022 federal election.

BAA chief executive John Preston said the tax hikes were becoming "out of control".

'We don't believe these increases are now actually raising any more money for the government. They are just hurting beer drinkers and our pubs and clubs," he said.

In other news:

"While the [federal] treasurer inherited these automatic half-yearly beer tax increases, we're calling on the government to step in and take some action before a trip to the pub or a dinner out with the family becomes an unaffordable luxury for most Australians."

Australia's beer tax is among the highest in the world, now overtaking Japan with only Norway and Finland charging more.