The more alcohol a locally brewed beer contains, the higher the price should be. At least, if it were up to The Hague. Because the cabinet is looking for money and wants an extra tax on specialty beers. And the higher the alcohol percentage, the higher the tax (excise duty). The joint Dutch brewers have started a petition against what they consider ‘double’ beer tax.
Henk Timmerman of the Maallust brewery in Veenhuizen: “We already received an increase in excise duties as of January 1 and there will now be an extra tax on top of that, increasing based on the strength of the beer. You won’t notice that with our table beer or a blonde, but you will notice it with the triples and quadrupels, because they are between eight and ten percent. If my production remains the same, I will lose a ton in excise duty this year and almost a ton and a half next year!”
The joint specialty beer brewers, united in the interest group CRAFT, have calculated that a bottle or can of Tripel will soon become twice as expensive. Bert Calkhoven, owner of the De Gulzige Gans brewery in Coevorden, is one of the petitioners. His beer Kachel with ten percent alcohol is becoming considerably more expensive.
To give you an idea: he only brews 180 liters per week. He now pays 79.60 euros in excise duty on that. In 2024 this will be 144.90 euros. “That is 65 euros more for this brew alone. I was shocked. In some cases it is 40 euros more. You cannot pass all that on to the customer.”
Timmerman van Maallust is very concerned. Not only for his own company but also for many of his even smaller local brewing colleagues. “First we had corona and no turnover, then a tax debt followed for many – including us -. Sky-high inflation and raw materials that are becoming significantly more expensive. And on top of that, this double beer tax.”
Breweries and catering establishments in the border province are seeing more and more of their customers and guests cross the border to buy their beer there, says CRAFT. If the double tax increase goes ahead on January 1, we will soon pay more than 80 percent more beer tax in the Netherlands than in Belgium and no less than 360 percent more than in Germany, the interest group has calculated.
“Whether the government is looking for money or does this based on alcohol prevention policy, in both cases it concerns the wrong target group. Special beers are not drunk by young people but by older enthusiasts. Especially the heavier beers, which you drink like wine. Relax and you enjoy that. You don’t drink four quadrupels in a row,” explains the Asser cafe owner and chairman of the Royal Horeca Netherlands department Drenthe Geert te Velde.
“The catering industry has also been hit hard enough by corona and then inflation with high price increases, high energy prices and tightness on the labor market.” So a beer on the terrace will become more expensive? “If you want to keep the same return, you will have to. The stretch is over.” And then? “I don’t think specialty beer drinkers will now spend less money on their beer, I do think they will go to the pub less often.”
Drenthe politicians are also concerned about the excise tax increase and the future of local breweries. It is a regional product that is coming under pressure, says Harry Omlo of JA21. Almost in the entire Provincial Council, a motion was recently adopted by him against the multi-stage increase in excise duties on specialty beers. Deputy Willemien Meeuwissen will inform the cabinet that the plan must be scrapped. The argument: stay away from our regional products.
The specialty beer petition will be presented to the House of Representatives on October 17.