The Ministry of Finance proposes to introduce a tax on alcohol-containing medicines and lotions

The Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation proposes to equate alcohol-containing food additives and flavorings to alcoholic products, TASS reports , citing a source in the department.

The Ministry of Finance will prepare amendments to the legislation and the Tax Code, providing for the introduction of excise taxes on alcohol-containing cosmetics and pharmaceutical products, with the exception of vital and essential medicines.

According to a ministry representative, food flavorings containing alcohol are often used by Russians as alcohol substitutes. Such liquids, in particular, include “Cucumber” lotion, “Boyarka”, hawthorn and rosehip tinctures, alcohol-containing additives “Bread” and “Wheat”.

The excise tax rate on alcohol in perfumery and cosmetic products is also currently being discussed. The text of the bill will be submitted for discussion in January 2017. According to the press service of the Ministry of Finance, this measure is necessary to curb the practice of inappropriate use of alcohol.

At the end of November, the Ministry of Finance proposed to equate hawthorn tincture to alcoholic products and include it in the Unified State Automated Information System (USAIS).

In December 2014, the head of the RAR, Igor Chuyan, reported that every year Russians buy about 15 million deciliters of hawthorn tincture.

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