This year vodka will fall under total control

Combining with the state automated information system for accounting for the production and turnover of alcohol (EGAIS) federal information programs used in the supervision of the production of alcohol-containing products will help to displace counterfeit and fake strong drinks from the Russian market and, accordingly, more effectively protect the health of Russians from the surrogate. The Finance Ministry plans to complete the development of the bill in April this year, and in June the Cabinet is preparing to submit it to the State Duma. Legislators see common sense in the initiative and propose expanding the scope of the EGAIS by connecting an effective control mechanism to beer circulation.

EGAIS will compete for budget rubles

Since 2016, Russian producers and sellers of alcohol should be connected to the Unified State Automated Information System, however, far from everyone now complies with the rule that is mandatory for everyone. According to the estimates of the first deputy chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Budget and Financial Markets Sergey Ryabukhin, four years ago, the share of illegal high-degree products in the country reached 50 percent, but due to timely legal corrections aimed at combating the illegal production of alcohol, it fell to 28 percent today.

To reset these remaining percentages is the task of lawmakers and the Cabinet in the near future. According to the senator, the next, but by no means the last important step in this direction is the bill planned by the Government for the current year on the systematization of mandatory requirements and the integration into the EGAIS of information programs used in the supervision of the production of alcohol-containing products.

“The amendments prepared by the Ministry of Finance in 2020, I hope, will allow us to seriously squeeze out counterfeit products from the market and deliver a decisive blow to the alcohol mafia, which is not only hiding from taxation, but also plundering the country's consolidated budget. It is very important for us that the Government implements a plan for the transition to total control over the production and circulation of strong alcohol, ”Sergey Ryabukhin explained to the Parliamentary newspaper.

The legislator also noted that the already adopted amendments to the Tax and Budget Codes, providing for a phased increase in the regional share of excise taxes on strong alcohol, motivated the subjects of the Federation to become more closely involved in the fight against counterfeiting in their territories.

Next in line are glass containers and the “beer mafia”

The introduction at the manufacturing plants of a special marking of glass containers intended for strong alcoholic beverages will make it possible to accurately determine the final buyer of the products and stop the production of high-grade counterfeit products in time. According to Sergey Ryabukhin, such a bill fits into the strategy for combating illegal alcohol and can be considered already in the current session.

At the same time, the Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Nationalities Ildar Gilmutdinov believes that, while continuing the fight against counterfeit vodka, we should not forget about drinks of less than degrees. The deputy suggests connecting the EGAIS to the supervision of beer circulation. According to him, at present the system monitors the foamy drink only to the point of sale, therefore it is advisable to take retail and catering under the “guardianship”. He is developing such a bill in conjunction with the Cabinet, but it’s too early to talk about the timing of submission to the State Duma.

As the author of the initiative explained to “Parliamentary Gazeta”, the document also envisages the creation of a register of brewers that will allow combating illegal products in this sector. In particular, we are talking about one-day firms that are not involved in the production of beer.

Gilmutdinov recalled that at the end of last year, the President of the Russian Federation signed a law developed by deputies and senators that prevents the illegal trafficking of ethyl alcohol and alcohol-containing medicines. According to the innovation, from July 1, 2020, all who trade in bulk, transport and store the pharmaceutical substance of ethyl alcohol, will be required to transmit information on the volume of procurement, transportation, storage and supply of products to EGAIS.

In addition, wholesale pharmacies will have to store the purchased pharmaceutical substance of ethanol in a container of no more than a liter. At the same time, some prohibitions are introduced, in particular, on the production of alcohol-containing drugs by a separate division of the organization using the main technological equipment for the production of ethyl alcohol.

The document also clarifies the concept of “alcohol-containing drugs”, which may contain not only the pharmaceutical substance of ethyl alcohol (ethanol), but also other ethyl alcohol.

reference

From October 2015 to 2018, about 500 illegal production of alcohol-containing products were eliminated in Russia, more than 5,700 pieces of equipment and 86.5 million liters of “wrong” alcohol were seized. Due to the measures taken, the excise tax on strong alcohol increased from 271 billion rubles to 357 billion.

Source: https://www.pnp.ru