The 10.30pm tax: how bars charge Aussies a shocking fee for just being out late at night
- Friends were charged extra after 10pm
- Bar staff told them about ‘late night surcharge’
- News of the charges has sparked anger
An Aussie drinker has revealed how he was hit by a massive ‘10.30pm load’ while at the pub.
The man and his friend were drinking at the Oxford Hotel in Darlinghurst, Sydney, when they bought a Young Henry’s Newtowner jug at 10:37 p.m.
It had previously cost them $24 around 9:18 p.m., but the second jug, which they bought after 10:30 p.m., cost them $33.50.
When they asked a member of staff to explain the price difference, they were told there was a ‘late night surcharge after 10pm’.
The stunned customers said there were no signs announcing the surcharge at the bar.
The man and his friend were drinking at the Oxford Hotel in Darlinghurst when they bought a Newtowner jug at 10:37pm and were charged extra
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Oxford Hotel for comment.
Several customers have confirmed the surcharge online, although the pub has yet to respond to claims.
The man took to social media and said, ‘I’ve never heard of a nightly allowance and it’s a 30% increase! Not exactly a small increase.
‘There is no signage to notify anyone of charges after 10pm. I have never heard of this practice in Australia.
‘Has anyone experienced this before? Is it legal?’
Aussies were baffled by the man’s experience – though many highlighted similar incidents.
One said, ‘Wow. Maybe the audience just expects the punters to be too drunk to notice by 10:30.’
A second added: “Surcharges and semi-forced tips are now sadly becoming commonplace.”
While a third wrote: ‘So sick of this. It has to stop. Australian culture is being murdered before our very eyes by these greedy institutions that will not pay their staff a living wage.’
When they asked a member of staff to explain the price difference, they were told there was a ‘late night surcharge after 10pm’
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, companies are required to display ‘clear and accurate prices’
The website adds, “There are specific laws about how companies must display their prices.
“Companies must show a total price, including taxes, levies and all unavoidable or pre-selected additional costs.
“If a business charges a surcharge for card payments, weekends or holidays, it must abide by the rules about showing the surcharge.”