Norwegian alcohol sales record – in Sweden

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Never before have the Swedish Systembolaget sold so much alcohol in their stores along the border. The director of NHO believes the sugar surcharge is the reason.

 

In the first quarter of this year, sales of alcohol at Systembolaget’s retail outlets in the five main trading regions along the border in Sweden have increased by 8.9 per cent from last year, VG writes.

CEO of NHO Food and Beverage, Petter Haas Brubakk believes that the sugar surcharge introduced in the autumn of 2017 is the cause.

“When the surcharges, which the Frp (Progress Party) called extremely high when they were in opposition, increased by 42 and 83 percent overnight, it was like throwing gas on the fire, considering that there was already a strong rise in border trade,” he said.

Brubakk believes it is time for the Frp and Siv Jensen to make proposals to Stortinget to cut the fees.

“For a long time, the Frp has believed that Norwegian taxes and charges have an effect on the trade competition between countries, and it appears that more people now realise that high excise taxes are a competitive disadvantage for Norway,” says the Frp’s spokesperson for fiscal policy, Helge André Njåstad.

He adds that Frp are not supporters of high sugar tax or high alcohol and tobacco taxes, and they believe Norwegian prices should be competitive.

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today