Fed: Money on beer deal straight to business, says Democrats

AAP General News (Australia)
04-04-2001
Fed: Money on beer deal straight to business, says Democrats

The Australian Democrats say money from the federal government's deal to cut beer excise
will flow directly into the pockets of small and medium business.

The party's finance spokesman ANDREW MURRAY says the deal, struck last night, means
an electoral promise will be kept.

Senator MURRAY says the deal will cost the budget about $180 million, but the government
didn't seem overly concerned about its budget situation.

He says he thinks the government knows they've got more money than they're letting on.

The deal, forced on the government by the Democrats and Labor which threatened to block
a retrospective increase in excise, should lop up to 15 cents from the cost of a low-alcohol
beer.

It follows a pre-election pledge by Prime Minister JOHN HOWARD that the GST won't increase
the price of beer by more than 1.9 per cent.

AAP RTV lm/alt/jn

KEYWORD: BEER MURRAY (CANBERRA)

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