After the introduction of a new excise tax rate on May 1, the production of low-alcohol cocktails in cans decreased sevenfold, RBC writes, citing data from Rosalkogoltabakkontrol.
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According to market participants, since the beginning of May, the production of low-alcohol cocktails in cans in Russia has decreased sevenfold year-on-year, to 0.5 million decaliters. For the same period last year, the figure was 3.4 million decaliters.
Experts believe that, due to the increase in excise tax, this market segment is in danger of disappearing and by the end of the year, the production of low-alcohol drinks may fall by 2-2.5 times. Previously, it was calculated depending on the ethyl alcohol content: for 1 liter of anhydrous alcohol they paid 514 rubles; in terms of 1 liter of cocktail, the excise tax was about 36 rubles. From May 1, the excise tax began to be calculated from 1 liter of the drink itself, for which you need to pay 141 rubles.
Analysts also noted that the low-alcohol drinks category has been one of the fastest growing in recent years. The main buyers of products are young people who react to price changes. At the first stage, the drop in sales in this segment may be about 20%.
It is also assumed that manufacturers may begin to register their products as wine or beer drinks, ciders, in order to avoid having to pay increased excise taxes.
In 2025, excise taxes on strong alcohol may be indexed by 4.7%
Minimum prices for strong alcohol have increased in Russia since July 1
