From September 1, 2010, rates of excises on alcoholic beverages will be increased by to 10% in Belarus. This decision is contained in the presidential decree №439 of August 24, 2010. "Accordingly, alcoholic products will rise in price in proportion to the increase in excise rates", deputy director general of Minsk Kristall enterprise, Sergei Mashkov, reported to Telegraf correspondent.
According to Sergei Mashkov, excises amount to about 40% in the cost of alcohol. Consequently, the increase in excise rates by 10% should lead to the growth of products cost by 4%.
«I can not say how, for example, vodka will rise in price exactly. Alcohol prices are raised by the Ministry of Economy», Sergei Mashkov stressed. «Our enterprise produces vodka at fixed prices, and we do not know how much it the price to grow».
As Telegraf previously reported, the Finance Ministry of Belarus considered one of the causes of the increase of excise rates on alcohol the implementation of the state program to combat alcoholism, which provides the growth of excises by faster pace. The growth of excise rates is also stipulated by the agreement with the International Monetary Fund under stand-by cooperation program.
