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Parliament Rejects Beer Tax Hike as Four KDH MPs Abstain From Vote
Wednesday 01 December 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, December 1 (TASR) - Beer prices won't go up after all because Parliament on Wednesday voted down Finance Minister Ivan Miklos's proposal to raise excise-tax on this type of beverage.
The move failed to garner support among some Christian Demcorat (KDH) MPs, with four of them abstaining from the vote.
Under the amendment, the excise-tax on beer was to be increased by 22 percent for beer produced by small breweries and by 27 percent for that brewed by larger ones.
The move received harsh criticism from breweries in the run-up to the vote. "After providing countless expert opinions, detailed analyses and explanations concerning the reasons why yet another significant increase in excise-tax would be a ruinous move for breweries, we view the Coalition Council's decision [to support the tax increases] as disregarding and underrating future developments in a sector of such importance," said the Slovak Beer and Malt Producers Association (SZVPaS)
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