Ireland: High taxes on food and drink push country towards the top of the list
Ireland is on the verge of becoming the most expensive place to live in the 12-nation eurozone, according to a survey published yesterday.
Research carried out by the Irish national policy advisory board Forfas suggests that consumer prices are now equal to those in the UK – which puts Ireland’s prices ahead of those in all European countries except Denmark and Sweden.
The report says that huge differences in living costs between eurozone countries are caused by taxes that have a big impact on visitors; items that are very highly taxed in Ireland include alcohol, tobacco, rent, pubs and restaurants.
Overall, the top eight eurozone countries in terms of the cost of living were as follows: 1. Finland; 2. Ireland; 3. Germany; 4. Netherlands; 5. Luxembourg; 6. France; 7. Belgium; 8. Austria.
A statement from Forfas reads: “Ireland looks set to emerge as the most expensive country within the eurozone in the very near future if current inflation differentials between the eurozone’s two most expensive countries persist.”
Portugal was the cheapest country on the list, followed by Greece, Spain and Italy.
