Belarus Considers Tax Law Amendments Affecting Alcohol and Tobacco

The legislative body of Belarus is currently considering a draft amendment to the tax law. If these proposed changes are adopted, alcohol and cigarettes in Belarus will become more expensive. In fact, the tax amendment specifies that the consumption tax on pure alcohol will increase by 19.4%: from 5.66 Belarusian rubles per liter (equivalent to approximately 0.63 yuan) to 6.76 rubles (equivalent to approximately 0.75 yuan).

The increase in consumption tax will have a corresponding impact on the cost of alcoholic beverages. For example, the consumption tax on vodka and other drinks will increase from 16.83 rubles per liter (approximately 1.87 yuan) to 22.06 rubles (+31%) (approximately 2.5 yuan), while the consumption tax on a liter of beer (with a concentration of no more than 7 degrees) will increase by 18.4%.

Cigarettes may become more expensive as there is a proposal to increase the first tier excise tax from 43.56 rubles (about 4.8 yuan) per thousand units to 55.6 rubles (about 6.2 yuan) from January 1, 2023. Furthermore, there are plans to increase it to 66.25 rubles (about 7.3 yuan) in April, up to 78.97 rubles (about 8.8 yuan) from July, and up to 95.59 rubles (about 10.6 yuan) from October.

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