Beer duty cut on the agenda

Czech brewers will be pleased. The Czech agriculture minister Marian Jurečka said at the end of June 2014 that he is considering pushing for a cut in the excise duty on beer.

His motivation for such a move isn’t his new-found love for beer or brewing, though. According to Czech media, the previous hike resulted in a drop in production and tore a hole into the state’s revenues.

Beer duties were raised by caretaker finance minister Edvard Janota in 2010 as part of a package of austerity measures to reduce the state’s deficit.

In 2013 Czech beer production rose slightly but domestic consumption dropped by just over one percent with total sales supported by stronger exports.