Plea for reduction in excise duty on vodka

The National Council of Spirit Producers (KRPS) has asked the Finance Ministry to halve the current excise duty on vodka, which had already been cut last October by 30%, to zł. 4,400 per hectoliter of 100% alcohol. At that time, Ministry representatives stressed that if the reduction increased budget revenues and improved the sector's conditions, more cuts would come. "The EU set the minimum excise duty at euro 550 per hectoliter of 100% spirit, and we aim to reach the same level," said Henryk Tomasik, the deputy head of KRPS. Spirit producers hope to see sales increase once again, after a sudden drop early this year. They argue that whereas the sector's black market was estimated in 2001 at $500 million annually, it has since fallen by zł. 100 million. The Finance Ministry has yet to announce any proposed excise duty cuts. (Puls Biznesu, p. 7) A.K.