Expert Shapkin appreciated the intention to raise the minimum price for vodka and cognac
The Ministry of Finance proposes, starting this summer, to increase the minimum retail price (MRP) for vodka by 18 rubles per bottle — up to 299 rubles for half a liter. A similar increase in the “minimum wage” is expected for other strong alcoholic drinks — cognac, brandy and rum. The increase will be from 20 to 40 rubles per bottle — not such little money! The question arises: why did the authorities need to raise the MRP so noticeably and so urgently?
And so, according to the proposal of the Ministry of Finance, from June 1, the “minimum wage” for half a liter of vodka will be 299 rubles, 0.5 liters of brandy and rum will cost 403 rubles, and cognac – 556 rubles. For comparison: currently the MRP of a bottle of vodka is 281 rubles, brandy — 375, and cognac — 517 rubles.
Let us recall that quite recently alcohol producers threw into the information space the exact opposite idea — to establish the production of social vodka for the poor at 100 rubles per 0.5 liter. But initiatives that involve lowering prices somehow do not take root in our market. In any case, the state has made it clear that it will not follow the slippery path of reducing the cost of alcohol and making the population drunk. And starting from June 1, the price tags for legal spirits in stores will probably increase.
Moreover, many market experts see in this decision the desire not so much to fight for the sobriety of the population, but to plug financial holes in the deficit budget.
However, the Ministry of Finance itself explains the next indexation of the MRP for purely economic reasons: the level of inflation in the country, excise tax rates, as well as rising costs of alcohol production. It also takes into account the rise in price of imported equipment, components and consumables that manufacturers spent on last year.
It is clear that alcohol, unlike socially important products, is in no way protected by the government from “excessive” price increases. But still, it enjoys a certain popularity in our country. But not every citizen can pay three hundred rubles for a bottle of vodka in a store. They prefer “palenka”, which is three times cheaper. Does this mean that the illegal alcohol market (today it is about 25%) will become even larger? We ask the Chairman of the National Union for the Protection of Consumer Rights, Pavel Shapkin, about this.
“Since the beginning of the year, excise rates have increased by 4%, but the price has not changed,” he answers. — Now, in parallel, the minimum price for strong alcohol will increase. This measure has been temporarily postponed. Anything below the minimum trade price is an illegal product. It is worth adding that from May 1, the prices of wines and low-alcohol drinks will rise even more. Excise rates on wines will increase approximately three times, and on alcoholic cocktails by 4-5 times.
— Domestic wine will receive excise tax deductions, but imported wine does not have such a benefit. I believe that some Romanian wine will cost 1000 rubles. Who will buy, say, Moldovan wine for 1000 rubles?
— This is alcoholic beverages, a separate minimum price has not yet been established for it. But she is already expensive.
— This idea is as old as the world, it was also proposed by Kulik — there was such an agrarian leader in the Yeltsin government. They say that in order to get rid of illegal trade, prices for legal goods need to be kept to a minimum. But then why stop only at alcoholic products? Let's cancel taxes on all goods, and we will have a country that has defeated counterfeit goods. True, with an empty treasury…
— I suspect that some people will go to pharmacies for various tinctures like “Hawthorn” with a strength of 60 degrees. Their minimum prices are not affected in any way, although it’s probably high time to introduce them.
There are also glass shops and “nalivika” shops, where you can easily get hold of “left-handed” products. The state is beginning to regulate such outlets, but licensing has not yet been introduced there, there is no strict control.
— For this, thanks in quotation marks must be given to Gorbachev and his anti-alcohol campaign. Before this, there had never been such a scale of illegal products in the country. A kind of social contract emerged between the official and shadow markets. The fight against counterfeit goods is active, measures are being tightened, the screws are being tightened… But every day there is information that an underground alcohol production plant has been closed somewhere. It is prohibited to sell vodka at night everywhere. But probably everyone knows where to buy booze at night. This system works inside the anti-alcohol system.
— This drink is not cheap at all today. Costs for sugar, time for aging the mash, then the cost of the distillation apparatus itself. Moonshine today is more a pleasure for the rich than for the poor.