The increase in the excise tax on alcoholic beverages has put the local production at a competitive disadvantage towards imported products.
“The biggest blow was in vodka production”, Dimitri Abesadze, General Director of Ushba told Report.ge.
According to Abesadze large numbers of alcohol beverages come from Ukraine, Russia and Poland today. General Director of Ushba said that in 2019 he sold exactly the amount of vodka that he used to sell in just one month last year.
Keti Jurkhadze, International wine Expert, considers the last year's regulation on the alcoholic beverages market was necessary though it should not lead to an increase of the excise tax rate.
Recently the National Center for Disease Control and Public Health launched a campaign against alcohol beverages which will cost 90 thousand GEL.
The government lowered the projected excise tax rate by 175 million GEL.
Bela Gelashvili
News Author