First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Viktor Zubkov believes that the country needs to raise excise taxes on alcohol, although he warned against a sharp increase. He made this statement as part of a working trip to the North Caucasus Federal District (NCFD). Motivating his point of view, he stated that Russia has the cheapest vodka in the world, and excise taxes cannot be left at the same level.

At the same time, V. Zubkov recommended not to purchase vodka in stores that costs less than 100 rubles, since such products can not only be counterfeit, but also hazardous to health.

Speaking about the problem of underground alcohol products, V. Zubkov gave an example when millions of federal special stamps are destroyed under the guise of being unclaimed, and then appear stuck on counterfeit products in other regions.

In turn, the plenipotentiary representative of the Russian President in the North Caucasus Federal District (NCFD), Alexander Khloponin , admitted that the main producers of counterfeit alcohol products in the country are still the Stavropol Territory, Kabardino-Balkaria and North Ossetia.

“Many enterprises in these regions have no longer received licenses. There are facts of corruption and “protection protection” for underground industries in the regions. We will restore order here in the near future,” A. Khloponin assured.

The presidential representative especially emphasized that we are not talking about reducing legal production, since the alcohol industry provides significant income to regional budgets. A. Khloponin expressed confidence that this market can be turned into “normal, civilized and open.”

V. Zubkov: Vodka is too cheap in Russia