Excise tax added to beer in selected European countries January 2019
Excise duty
Excise taxes are levied against goods at the point in time when they are produced or against services when they are rendered. Companies usually pass the costs on to the consumer. It is typically a per unit tax and not a share of the price of a product and targets specific products; in this case beer or alcohol. Excise taxes vary across Europe due to different political aims of the governments levying this duty.Value-added taxes (VAT) are levied separately. These taxes and other factors heavily influence the final price of alcoholic beverages. Of the countries covered in the presented statistic, Finland had not only the highest excise duties but also the highest overall price for alcoholic beverages. Only Iceland and Norway exceeded Finland’s alcohol prices.