Kyrgyzstan withdraws draft to equalise excise on wine and low-alcohol drinks

Kyrgyzstan's Ministry of Economy and Commerce has withdrawn a draft government decree that would have set equal excise rates on wine and low-alcohol drinks, saying the draft needs further work. The ministry said the previously published version, posted on the Koom talkuu public consultation portal, is no longer relevant.

The withdrawn proposal would have set a single excise rate of 100 soms per litre on wine, sparkling wine and low-alcohol drinks. The ministry said the current gap between rates, which are 25 soms for wine, 50 for sparkling wine and 100 for low-alcohol drinks, allowed low-alcohol products to be declared as wine to pay less. In one case, about 40.8 million soms in excise was underpaid. The ministry estimated the change could bring about 170.65 million soms a year to the budget.

The draft package also proposed extending to January 1, 2033 the exemption from mandatory labelling for drinks produced on site by restaurants and cafes, including boza, maksym and zharma. It also proposed raising excise on liqueurs and vodka in stages to 250, 300 and 350 soms per litre.