Speaking at a Chamber of Commerce lunch event yesterday, Treasury Minister Alan Maclean said that the cost of alcohol consumption to the States was about £30 million a year whereas duty rates from its sale covered only £17.2 million.
In the 2017 Budget, Senator Maclean unveiled proposals to increase the cost of a litre of spirits by 72p, a packet of cigarettes by 45p and a bottle of table wine by 8p.
The States are due to debate the Budget proposals next month.
The move has prompted criticism from some quarters, including from Chamber of Commerce president Kristina Le Feuvre, who claimed that the rises were hitting businesses and making the Island a less attractive holiday destination.
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