The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has approved amendments raising the excise taxes on alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, and sweetened beverages as of 2026, BNS reports. The aim is to reduce the consumption of products that are harmful to the environment and health, LSM reports. The excise duty on strong alcoholic beverages will rise as of…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has passed in final reading amendments to ban advertising of beer and wine on radio and TV, Baltic News Network reports. The ban will apply to advertisements that include information on prices and discounts. The restriction is aimed at reducing the total consumption and negative impact of alcohol on young…
The Latvian government plans to raise taxes on fuel, harmful beverages, tobacco, and gambling, LETA reports. Under the plan, the excise tax on fuel will amount to EUR 10 per tonne of CO2 in 2025 and to EUR 20 per tonne in 2026. The excise duty on sugary non-alcoholic beverages will rise from the current…
Estonia’s Ministry of Finance has proposed raising excise duties on alcohol, tobacco, and fuel by 5% per year over 2025-2028, ERR reports. The tax hikes would take effect as of 1 July 2025. The bill would raise alcohol and tobacco taxes more than initially planned for 2025 and 2026. Estonia’s excise tax on petrol has…
Latvia and Lithuania were among the largest exporters of beer to Russia in 2023, LRT reported, citing Russian news agency RIA Novosti. According to the report, the value of Lithuania’s beer exports to Russia amounted to USD 36.5mn in 2023, which was up by 1.9 times from 2022, accounting for just over 15% of Russia’s…
The volume of beer produced in the Baltic States declined in 2022, according to data published by Eurostat, LSM reports. Lithuanian breweries produced a total of 329 million litres of beer in 2022, which was down from 334 million litres in 2021. Beer production in Estonia amounted to 134 (145) million litres and in Latvia…
Estonia’s biggest beer producer, Saku Õlletehas (Saku Brewery), reported sales of EUR 72.3mn in 2022, which was down 11% from 2021, ERR reports. The company’s annual net profit amounted to EUR 6.6mn, which was down 18.5% from a year earlier. The company attributed the worse results to the cessation of exports to Russia and Belarus,…
Sales of non-alcoholic beers have soared in Estonia over the past five years, Postimees reports. Kristiina Tamberg, head of communications and CSR at Prisma Peremarket, said that the market of non-alcoholic beers has been on an upward trend for several years. Sales of alcohol-free beers increased by 20% in 2021 and by another 8% in…
Beer prices in Lithuania are rising, leading locals to question why they have to pay as much as they would in Paris or Rome, LRT reports. The price of a pint of beer in central Vilnius can range from EUR 3.5 to EUR 6. Raimondas Pranka, president of the Vilnius nightlife association, NaktA, explains that…