New heavy liquor law on horizon

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Tax rate differences on high-alcohol spirits between Turkey and the European Union will be gradually eliminated by 2018, as part of taxation negotiations carried out with the union, daily Hürriyet reported yesterday. The cabinet draft decree regarding the tax regulation covering liquors such as rakı, gin, whiskey, vodka has been submitted to the Prime Ministry.

However, the Traditional Alcoholic Beverages Producers Association (GİSDER) took the opportunity to demand a further improvement in taxes collected on rakı to protect the national liquor against the competition of foreign liquors such as whisky and vodka.

The upcoming regulation will have adverse affect on Turkish rakı sector, as it will equalize the taxes collected on the liquors’ competitors, according to a GİSDER statement issued yesterday. The association therefore demands the same protection Greece implements for ouzo. The rate of tax collected from ouzo is half that of similar liquors.