Rules by country / Middle East and Africa / South Africa alcohol excise
Excise duty on alcohol in South Africa: what the 2026/27 rise costs each drink
Since 1 April 2026, excise on beer, cider, wine and spirits is 3.39% higher: R149.98 a litre of alcohol on beer and cider, R302.84 on spirits, and R6.15 a litre on wine. A 750ml bottle of spirits now carries R97.66. We plan how much of each rise to pass on, product by product.
At the rates in Table 4.8 of the 2026 Budget Review. Wine pays per litre of wine, whatever its strength.
A duty pass-on plan for South Africa
How much of each excise rise to pass on, product by product, with a price plan ready before every 1 April.
- How much of each duty rise to pass on, product by product, and how sure we are
- The price points and pack sizes that carry the duty best
- How shoppers switch between beer, wine and spirits when prices move
- A price plan for each retailer, and an Excel model to update at each rise
How your results look
| Product | Excise a pack | Our advice |
|---|---|---|
| Lager, 6 x 340ml, 5% | R15.30 | Pass on in full |
| Brandy, 750ml, 38% | R86.31 | Hold the price point |
| Cider, 440ml, 4.5% | R2.97 | Pass on in steps |
Fictional products. Every real result comes with the expected sales and profit, and a likely range.
Your options
Every option has a fixed price, agreed before we start.
Duty pass-on plan
- The duty and best choice for each product
- Price plan for each retailer
- Scenario model and a walk-through
Pricing review with the duty
- Everything in the duty review
- Prices and promotions for the whole range
- How your products take sales from each other
Portfolio review
- Everything in the pricing review
- More retailers and data sources
- A plan for each channel
After the project: a refresh before each pricing round, from £2,000 (about R44,000). Prices are fixed in pounds sterling; amounts in rand are a guide at October 2026 exchange rates. We're based in the UK and work remotely, in English, under NDA.
How it works
From the first call to your plan in about three weeks.
A free 15-minute call
Tell us about your range. We say whether a review would pay for itself, and quote a fixed price.
Your data
Sales by product and retailer, recipes and costs. We sign an NDA before anything moves.
Your plan
The duty on every product, the best choice and a price plan, walked through with your team.
Excise duty on alcohol in South Africa: the detail
Open only what you need.
- Rise
- 3.39% on every alcohol excise rate, in line with expected inflation, from 1 April 2026; announced in the Budget on 25 February 2026
- Beer, cider and RTDs
- R149.98 a litre of absolute alcohol, about R2.55 on an average 340ml can
- Spirits
- R302.84 a litre of absolute alcohol: R97.66 on a 750ml bottle at 43%
- Wine
- R6.15 a litre for unfortified wine, R10.38 for fortified wine and R19.68 for sparkling wine
- Traditional beer
- Unchanged at 7.82 cents a litre
- From now on
- Excise changes take effect on 1 April each year, and the Treasury's review of alcohol excise continues
Pass it on
Raise the price by the tax or more. Works for products whose sales hold up when the price rises.
Absorb it
Keep the price and take the cost. Works when a rise would push a product past a key price point and lose more profit than the tax.
Change the strength
The duty is charged on the alcohol, so a small cut in strength lowers it on every pack.
What is the excise duty on beer in South Africa?
R149.98 a litre of absolute alcohol since 1 April 2026, about R2.55 on an average 340ml can.
How do you calculate excise duty on alcohol in South Africa?
For beer, cider and spirits, multiply the litres by the alcohol strength and the rate per litre of absolute alcohol: a 340ml can at 5% holds 0.017 litres of alcohol, so R149.98 x 0.017 = R2.55. Wine pays per litre of wine.
How much excise is on a bottle of spirits in South Africa?
R97.66 on a 750ml bottle at 43%, from R302.84 a litre of absolute alcohol.
When did the 2026 alcohol excise increase start?
On 1 April 2026. The Budget on 25 February 2026 announced a rise of 3.39%.
How much does a duty pass-on plan cost?
A review of up to 10 products has a fixed price from £7,500 (about R170,000) and takes about three weeks. For 11 to 50 products, a full pricing review costs around £17,500 (about R390,000). It starts with a free 15-minute call.
Do you work with brands in South Africa?
Yes. We're based in the UK and work remotely and in English, under NDA. Prices are fixed in pounds sterling before we start, and the first step is a free 15-minute call.
- National Treasury, 2026 Budget Review, chapter 4 (Table 4.8)
- EWN, sin taxes rise by 3.4% as the effective date moves to 1 April (25 February 2026)
Checked on 25 October 2026. Rules and rates change, so check the official source before making decisions. This page is not tax advice.