The Duma is concerned with the issue of selling beer on tap and to go

“Nalivaikas require special control”

State Duma deputies proposed taking special control over the sale of beer products on tap and for takeaway.

“The law on liqueurs was adopted, but this is not enough,” Dmitry Gusev, first deputy chairman of the State Duma control committee, told MK. – The sales of beer products on tap and for takeaway is questionable. The fact is that today this sales channel is illegal. And there are two options: ban or regulate.

The parliamentarian noted that more than 80% of unaccounted beer products are sold through this channel. Budget losses in 2021 amounted to 28.6 billion rubles in excise taxes alone. For three quarters of 2022 – 16 billion rubles. In February 2024, the Federal Tax Service reported that as a result of joint actions with the FSB, 2 tax evasion schemes were uncovered in the beer market, the amount of unpaid excise taxes and VAT amounts to tens of billions of rubles, and the volume of unaccounted products was estimated at approximately 2.3 billion liters.

To solve the problem, Deputy Gusev proposes the following measures: clearly state in the law the procedure for takeaway bottling; draw up a register of sellers from which to exclude for violations; give the regions the opportunity to independently regulate this area, because excise taxes go to their budgets; increase liability, even criminal.

“Small, medium and large industry representatives are in favor of a settlement. Fellow deputies too,” notes the parliamentarian. “It remains to work out the mechanisms.” However, the Ministry of Finance greeted the initiative without much enthusiasm.