Matvienko proposed to introduce an excise tax on all ethyl alcohol

In Russia, it is necessary to introduce an excise tax on all ethyl alcohol produced in the country. With such a proposal during a meeting with Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin spoke Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko.

“The main reason is that, along with poisoning with ethyl alcohol produced for alcoholic products and subject to a high excise tax, there is absolutely identical ethyl alcohol in circulation, which is produced for the needs of the medical, perfumery and cosmetic industries and is not subject to excise duty. As a result, the difference in the cost of these identical alcohols is more than 80%,” Matviyenko specified. She also announced the need to establish excise subsidies for manufacturers of medical alcohol.

She noted that last year, with the needs of medicine in 1.6 million deciliters of medical alcohol, 6.8 million decalitres were produced. According to Matviyenko, 13 million decaliters of illegal vodka and other alcohol-containing products were produced from these surpluses.

Matvienko also advocated the legislative establishment of an extrajudicial mechanism for the destruction of alcohol seized during the investigation of criminal cases.

At the same time, the speaker of the Federation Council announced the need to denature methanol. “Despite the fact that this possibility has been confirmed by scientists and chemists, a powerful lobby opposes this in every possible way and finds thousands of non-existent reasons,” emphasized Matvienko (quote from TASS).

In April, the Ministry of Health supported bill to tighten the sale of medical alcohol, as this measure is timely. Some alcohol-containing medicines become the basis “for the production of illegal alcohol and loss of excises,” stressed the head of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy Maxim Topilin.

In early June, mass poisoning with surrogate alcohol occurred in several regions of Russia. As a result of the incident, according to the Ministry of Health on June 17, 36 people died, including one child, over 100 were hospitalized. The reason was alcohol brand “Mr. Cider”, which was produced in the Samara region. The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation reported that in the course of a chemical forensic examination, impurities of methanol and ethyl butyrate were detected in the seized cider in proportions dangerous to humans. According to the results of toxicological studies, methanol was found in the blood of the victims. Alcohol, which was used to make cider, was seized as part of a criminal case and was stored in the warehouse of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.