Beer in Ukraine is now considered an alcoholic beverage on par with vodka and wine, according to changes in legislation and the tax code that went into effect on July 1.
Passed by Parliament in December, the changes reflect government policies geared toward improving public health, and also introduce regulations that define who can promote, distribute and sell beer.
Advertising of beer on television is now limited to seven hours per day, from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Beer companies are prohibited from sponsoring events such as sports tournaments.
Beer vendors will now have to pay Hr 8,000 a year for a license, while distributors must pay Hr 500,000. Electronic cash registers will have to be purchased as well – for some categories of vendors as of July 1, for others by year-end. And those who sell suds must do so from a vending space of no less than 20 square meters.
There was the sharp drop in beer production in the first half of 2015. According to Ukrpivo, an industry trade group, the volume of beer production in Ukraine in the first five months of 2015 fell by 24.7 percent, compared to the same period in 2014.
Intern Valeriya Golovina can be reached at [email protected].
