Cheap plonk to stay, but wineries may close under tax crackdown

The government’s plans to crack down on tax rorts in the wine industry probably won’t cause cheap-and-cheerful plonk prices to rise, but could lead to some of Australia’s 2500-odd wineries go bust, winemakers say. Treasury Wine Estates, the country’s biggest winemaker by market value and one of the biggest by volume, has welcomed the government’s long-awaited plans to make a rebate for winemakers lower and harder to claim. But many winemakers say the government has gone too far. They will be pushing Revenue Minister Kelly O’Dwyer and Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources Anne Rushton to water down the plans.