Brussels wants to force Spain to raise taxes on wine, beer and alcoholic beverages

Brussels wants to force Spain to raise taxes on wine, beer and alcoholic beverages. It is expected that a formal proposal on the matter will be put forward after a public consultation.

Public consultation on raising taxes on alcoholic beverages is set to remain open until July 4. Any rule changes could come into force by the second quarter of 2023, as reported by Diario de Navarra on April 13.

According to the European Commission, the rule that determines the minimum rates applied to alcoholic beverages by member states has not changed since 1992. It is expected that tax increases could raise around 1 billion euros per year in Spain if similar rates to the rest of Europe were applied.

As reported by El Espanol: “Spain is the fifth country in the EU (adding the United Kingdom to the member states) that gets the least money from the tax applied to distilled spirits with an alcohol content of 40% or more. It is also one of the lowest earners on beer.”

Taxes on alcohol are intended to “discourage excessive consumption.”  In Spain though drinking wine is part of the Mediterranean diet.

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