Tax on beer is a gold mine
European governments have earned 57.5 billion euro on the production and sale of beer. That is more than total annual government expenses in Poland or Finland.
This can be read in the report ‘The contribution made by beer to the European Economy’, researched by Ernst & Young. European consumers paid an estimated 19 billion in VAT for their beer consumption.
Excises contributed 10.5 billion to national treasuries. Top ranked countries for excises are Norway, Sweden, Finland, United Kingdom and Ireland.
Germany is the leading country in the production and consumption of beer. And it tops the list of exporting countries, followed closely by the Netherlands. Total tax revenues from beer are 7.5 billion in Germany.
Ernst & Young did the research by order of the Brewers of Europe.
The main conclusions of the report
The full report with country chapters
