The Ministry of Health analyzes the possibility of introducing a minimum price for a gram of alcohol, which would mainly result in an increase in beer prices. This is the fulfillment of the dreams of the spirit industry – the brewers say – informs Tuesday's “Puls Biznesu”.
As the newspaper reminds, “despite the fact that Poland has been at the forefront of the countries of the region with the highest excise duty for beer for years, deputy health minister Wojciech Konieczny in 'Puls Biznesu' announced that the prices of the golden drink can still increase.”
“The introduction of a minimum price for a gram of alcohol is being considered, which, for example, would mean an increase of approx. PLN 1.5 on a bottle of beer with a capacity of 5 % of the price of vodka and wine would remain almost unchanged. From the beginning of the year, beer excise duty has increased by 5 percent. , reaching a level of approx. PLN 131 per hectoliter of the drink ” – notes the diary.
An increase in beer prices by 40 percent
– The minimum price for alcohol is a controversial idea. In the EU only Ireland He experiments with such a tool, but short enough that it is difficult to assess its operation. State interference in the market, consisting in a significant, about 40 % increase in the price of beer, while maintaining unchanged prices of vodka, would be the fulfillment of the dreams of the spirit industry, which has long been striving to improve its competitiveness at the expense of beer – comments Bartłomiej Morzycki for “PB”, general director Polish Browary Association.
And he adds that “beer and vodka are to some extent substitution products.” – A deep decline in beer demand would mean the transfer of some consumption to spirit products, especially monkeys – he explains.
Source of the main photo: Shutterstock