Alcohol Excise Tax Reaches Inevitable Point Where Australians Roll The Dice On A Poisonous Black Market

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More than 30% of Australia's independent bottle shops are selling illegal alcohol products - with the vast majority completely unaware they are doing it.

That's according to last night's ABC 7:30 program

Shortly before Barnaby Joyce became an international meme for explosively yelling at his dog mid-interview, Australians were made aware that our nation is in the midst of a blackmarket liquor boom.

Except, it's not all good news for young partygoers who are hoping this news might mean they can enjoy a night out like their parents used to.

Because when these illegal products begin dodging Australian taxation, it seems they are also dodging all forms of regulation.

The ABC has uncovered that illicit vodka, which is sold off the shelf to unwitting Australians who think they've stumbled on a rare bargain, is actually contaminated with a chemical used in paint stripper.

It's already happened with tobacco - so it should come as no surprise to the Federal Government that the nation is now exploring legally grey options outside of Australia's prohibitively taxed alcohol market.

As of last year, over 80% of all cigarettes sold in Australia were blackmarket - as the nation's smokers opt for the untaxed imports that go for $10 a pack - rather than the taxed $60 packs.

This boom in income for organised crime groups is the reason why random shopfronts keep burning down in suburban Australia, as tobacco overtakes cocaine as the most lucrative and accessible form of contraband.

And as the ABC has uncovered, the infinitely-rising Excise Tax on alcohol has also reached a price point where the public is now treating booze like a banned substance - and is instead relying on those selling illegal alternatives.

This is because Australia has some of the highest alcohol taxes in the world.

A 700ml bottle with 40 per cent ABV (Alcohol by Volume) is taxed at $30. When you add the costs of ingredients, labour, marketing and commercial real estate costs - that same bottle goes for nearly $100 bucks - that's if the distillery has plans to make enough profit to stay open.

With the government now handcuffed to the sweet, sweet revenue raised by 'taxing sin' - it can be expected that they will respond to this concerning cultural phenomena by doing nothing - like they did with cigarettes, until the entire situation gets completely out of control and all they are left with is gangland wars, zero tax revenue, and completely unmet health goals. Plus a lot of young kids dying from ethanol poisoning.