Beer sales in the Netherlands have decreased by 2.4% since January compared to last year, ANP reported on May 5. The Dutch brewers’ industry association, Nederlandse Brouwers, said this is mainly due to the cold spring weather and an increase in excise duties of an average of eight percent since January 1 this year.
The association highlighted that the increase in excise duty was not as beneficial to the treasury as politicians expected and led to a decline in beer sales. It would be strange if in this situation the Dutch did not start buying beer from neighboring Belgium and Germany, where taxes are much lower, brewers scoff.
“We wonder what conclusions the Cabinet and Parliament will reach when it is shown that more beer is bought abroad and therefore the Treasury loses more money.”
The association’s president, former prosecutor Fred Teeven, called on the Treasury Department to more carefully calculate the cross-border impact of increasing internal taxes on beer consumption.
Source: Rossa Primavera
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.