E-Malt.com News article: The Netherlands: Dutch brewers ask for lower beer excises to reverse decline in sales

The Dutch Government should lower the excise duty on beer, to reverse a decline in sales and preserve jobs in the industry, Dutch brewers' association, Nederlandse Brouwers, warned recently.

The association noted that the 30 percent tax hike in 2009 caused beer sales to plummet by 6.7 percent, while the 10 percent rise last year led to a further 3 percent decline in the market. Excise duty on beer, which currently stands at EUR37.96 (USD52.1) per hectolitre, has increased by almost 80 percent since 2000, it explained. It said that consumers are instead opting to purchase beer abroad where tax rates are lower.

Nederlandse Brouwers highlighted the importance of the Dutch beer industry to the nation's economy, pointing out that approximately 85 percent of beer consumed in the Netherlands is brewed in the Netherlands, and that the country is the fourth largest beer exporter in the world.

The beer sector pays about EUR2.2 bln in tax every year, of which EUR390 mln is in excise duty and EUR800 mln is in value-added tax (VAT), the group said. It said that 2,000 jobs are at risk if excise duty is not cut.


23 May, 2014